


CC-2224 (Cody)'s Guide to General Obi-Wan Kenobi

by ThirteenthMouse6572



Series: CC-2224 (Cody)'s Guide [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Cody/Boil if you want, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Misunderstandings, Multi, Nightmares, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Order 66, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Podfic Welcome, Post-Episode: s04e10 Carnage of Krell, Protective clones, Sickfic, Slow Burn, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, That's Not How The Force Works, The Force Ships It, so happy that's a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 43,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22904989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirteenthMouse6572/pseuds/ThirteenthMouse6572
Summary: a collection of one- and two-shots in cody's pov, and his adventures and thoughts on the 212th's general
Relationships: 212th Attack Battalion & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boil & CC-2224 | Cody, Boil (Star Wars) & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boil/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: CC-2224 (Cody)'s Guide [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677634
Comments: 349
Kudos: 1356





	1. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody meets his new general. he... isn't what cody expected

He had been warned about High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi. How the man was a strict, ‘follow my orders or there’ll be consequences’ kind of General. How he never listened to his Commander’s suggestions. Cody was prepared for his new battalion’s General, no matter how he acted. He would just have to adapt.

He had been warned about High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, which made it even more confusing when he finally _met_ the General. The 212th Attack Battalion was standing at attention, ready to face whoever was about to walk down the ship’s ramp, and Cody couldn’t be prouder of the men in his battalion.

Rex (who had told him that General Skywalker had let him use his _name_ ) walked down the ramp first, looking stiff. Even behind the obscuring helmet, Cody could tell Rex was worried about something. He looked back at the entrance of the ship and – not expecting the sight he was greeted with – had to hold back a head tilt in confusion.

“Come _on_ , Obi-Wan! You look great!” a voice Cody recognised as General Skywalker, shouted excitedly. “Look, you even match your new guys!”

General Skywalker walked down the ramp, looking smugly proud of himself as he joined Rex’s side. He was followed a few steps behind by a man with red hair and an (admittedly) handsome face, which was marked with golden paint and a miffed expression. Cody couldn’t help but notice the near-perfect match of the paint with the decorations of the 212th’s armour.

“I’m glad you find this humorous, Anakin because I certainly don’t,” the man said, frowning at the Jedi. CC-2224’s mind remembered the name General Skywalker called the man and realised that the golden-streaked man was General Kenobi – his new leader. General Kenobi shook his head and walked up to the 212th, practically oozing professionalism despite the paint.

Cody stood a little straighter as the General stopped in front of the battalion, taking in his new team. “212th, I presume?” General Kenobi asked Cody.

“Yes, Sir!” was the reply.

General Kenobi studied the helmet held in Cody’s right arm. “I suppose Anakin was right, the paint does match your colour.” He nodded to himself and looked Cody in the eye. “What’s your name, Commander?” he asked.

“CC-2224, Sir,” Cody replied, feeling strange using his designation. General Kenobi frowned, and Cody wondered if he said something wrong.

“I said your _name_ , Commander, not your number.” General Kenobi looked to General Skywalker, who was busy talking to Captain Rex and didn’t notice, and then back to the 212th. “Do you _have_ a name, Commander?”

Cody faltered, unsure what to answer. Clones weren’t exactly _allowed_ to use their names on Kamino. “I- no, I do not have a name, Sir.” He cursed himself internally for the stammer in his voice, giving away the lie.

General Kenobi didn’t outwardly show he noticed, but Cody knew that the General certainly _did_ pick up on it. The General looked towards the rest of the 212th and frowned. “Does anyone call the Commander any other name? I know Anakin eventually weaselled a name out of all his troops,” he said.

Nobody said anything for a long few seconds until someone on his right spoke up. “We call him Cody, Sir.”

General Kenobi smiled and nodded to whoever spoke. “Thank you, trooper.” He faced Cody. “If you’re comfortable with it, Commander, I’d be happy to call you Cody.” The Commander was taken aback, and he was sure it showed on his face. “You can choose another name if you wish.”

“Cody is fine, Sir,” Cody answered, neutralising his expression as to not show the relief he felt.

“Well, Commander Cody, I believe it’s time we get on board and have a peek at what we’re up against.” General Kenobi smiled and looked back to the other men. “When we have time, gentlemen, I’d love to get all your names. We’re a team, now, and I can’t go around calling my men by numbers and designations.”

Cody looked backwards as General Kenobi turned and begun walking back to the ship, looking for an explanation from any of the battalion, but he only received a couple of shrugs and confused looks in response.

“Looks like our new General isn’t as bad as warned,” Cody muttered to himself, before signalling for his men to follow their new General. This was going to be an adventure.


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody speaks to the general about the rumours he heard on kamino

Commander Cody stood outside his General’s quarters, not entirely sure what he was waiting for. General Kenobi had told everyone that, if they ever needed him, they were free to just walk into his quarters and ask. Cody didn’t think anyone had ever taken him up on that offer outside of informing him of incoming messages from the Jedi Council, but the General hadn’t hesitated to remind them every now and again.

So, there he was, going through an internal battle as to whether he should just leave the General to whatever he was doing or go in and ask the few questions that have been stewing in his mind ever since he met the General.

A few _vode_ walked by, looking sympathetically and knowingly at Cody, who nodded in acknowledgement. Cody took a breath and knocked on the door, standing at attention as he waited for it to open.

He heard a clatter from inside, as well as a few choice swear words from his General that made him smile internally, before the door opened. General Kenobi’s hair was admittedly a mess, but the General looked about as put-together as someone who was most likely running on 5 hours of sleep in the past week could be.

“Commander Cody,” General Kenobi sounded pleased to see him. “At ease, Cody, what did you need?”

Cody shifted slightly in place and evaded eye contact with his General. “I have a couple of questions for you, sir,” he replied. “They’re of… a personal nature.” It must have been Cody’s slight sleep-deprivation, but it looked like the General’s eyes lit up for a second.

“Of course, Cody, come in.” The General stepped aside and gestured for Cody to enter. The General’s quarters weren’t large, but it was _quiet_. Cody was so used to sleeping in the bunkers with the rest of the men, that stepping into General Kenobi’s room was a shock. Someone could _sleep_ in this quiet? Cody couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. “Please, sit down,” General Kenobi offered, pulling out the chair in front of his desk.

Cody sat down on the chair, back rigid and facing his General. “Now, what are your questions?” General Kenobi asked, taking a seat on the bed and brushing various datapads out of the way. Cody wanted to offer the seat he was sitting in, but the General told him to sit there, so he did.

“When I was still a shiny there were… rumours of a Jedi General that was strict and never listened to his Commander,” Cody said, wary of his words. “The other shinies told stories about how he ran into battle without waiting for his men, and didn’t care what they thought about it.” General Kenobi seemed to catch onto who Cody was talking about, but didn’t say anything. “And, no offence intended, Sir, when I heard he was going to be the leader of my battalion, I was… worried for my men.”

General Kenobi sighed and stroked his beard. “I’m assuming you’re wondering how those rumours came about, then?” Cody nodded in reply. “Do you know where they came from? Who started them?”

“No, Sir, rumours spread across Kamino fast, and the source ends up blurred at some point,” Cody replied.

“It was probably someone overhearing Alpha 17 complaining about me,” General Kenobi said. “I can think of reasons for every one of those rumours. Not listening to my Commander? My refusal to listen to his demands for me to wear armour. Running into battle alone? Us Jedi are used to being alone on missions, and we tend to forget in this wartime that we have backup.” Cody felt his heart twist in sympathy at the thought of his General going into battle against who-knows-what all alone, with no one at his side. “And… _strict_? I’m not quite sure where that rumour came from, but possibly me joking around with Alpha about his painting his armour?”

Painting his armour? The 212th had golden paint to designate them from other troops, but they hadn’t done it themselves. “I- I am sorry for doubting you, General Kenobi,” Cody said, feeling slightly ashamed to have believed the rumours about his General.

General Kenobi put a hand on Cody’s knee and shook his head, smiling. “It’s fine, Cody. I would be worried if someone with that reputation were taking over the 212th as well.” He sat back on the bed, crossing his legs. “Did you have another question, Cody?"

“Y-yes, General,” Cody replied. “Why don’t you wear armour in battle, Sir? I’ve… overheard some men talking about it. We’re… worried that you may be hurt in battle.” If Cody had a smidge less composure, he would definitely be turning red in embarrassment.

“I am fine without armour, my dear Commander,” General Kenobi assured. “You aren’t the first person to be worried about that fact, no need to be embarrassed.” Cody frowned slightly before remembering that Jedi could _read minds_ , to which he was even more embarrassed than before.

“Sorry, General.”

“No harm done, Cody. Do you have another question?”

Cody shook his head. “No, Sir. I am sorry for disturbing you in your quarters. I will allow you to get back to your work.”

The General looked saddened. “Don’t be sorry, Commander. I’m always happy when someone comes to me. In fact, I should be thanking you,” he motioned to the datapads, “for giving me an excuse not to do paperwork.”

“Of course, Sir,” Cody said automatically, not entirely sure how to respond to the thanks.

“Remember, you can come here any time you want. Even if you don’t have a question, Cody. I’m here for you to talk to about anything.” The General’s soft tone was something he had never heard outside of his _vode_ calming shinies after their first battle. Not trusting his voice, Cody nodded and saluted as he stood, leaving the General’s quarters after a dismissive nod and a smile from General Kenobi.

Each time Cody talked to the General, he gained more questions about the man than he had answers for. One day, perhaps he wouldn’t have so many but for now, he would have to think of answers himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translation:  
> vod(e) - brother(s)
> 
> (from mandoa.org/dictionary)


	3. The Paint Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the 212th decide to make their barracks a bit more personal, and unintentionally cause their general stress

The previous day, the barracks had been a pristine white. Clean, clear, impersonal. Now, it was filled with splatters of what had been affectionately called ‘212th Gold’. Someone (Cody was pretty sure it was either Boil or Waxer) had managed to get a hold of a few cans of paint and the 212th went a bit… crazy with the colour.

He had seen no less than 5 men with holorecorders aimed at the carnage, as white walls and floors were relieved of their reflectiveness by drunk-on-freedom troopers. Someone’s armour ended up covered in the paint, and a few faces had war-paint stripes on them. Cody had been sitting back and enjoying his men’s fun, rather than participating, but he still managed to get his blacks covered in some gold.

The fun stopped, however, when someone gasped loudly and a shout of ‘the General!’ echoed through the suddenly silent barracks. Cody quickly jumped down from his bunk to observe and found the now-open doorway occupied with General Kenobi, who had clearly been caught in the crossfire with a can of paint. The gold stood out against his hair and clothing, and a large splatter had made its way across his face, reminding Cody of when the 212th had officially met its General.

Nobody moved for a few long, tension-filled seconds. Cody could barely hear the troopers beside him breathing. The metaphorical string snapped when General Kenobi asked, in a tone that could only be described as ‘incredulous’, “what the hell?”

Every trooper in the room, including Cody, snapped to attention, nobody daring to look at the General out of fear of being yelled at. The General himself didn’t move for a while, just observing the chaos of the barracks. From the angle he was at, Cody couldn’t tell what the General thought, but he was frightened of the possibility that one or more of his brothers were going to be decommissioned.

Cody watched from the corner of his eye as General Kenobi wiped at the splatter of paint on his face, smudging it into his beard. The General walked to the nearest trooper – a shiny who didn’t even have a _name_ yet – and look up at him. While General Kenobi was shorter than everyone he seemed to meet, being at the receiving end of a stern look was just as intimidating as if the General were taller.

“Trooper, what’s your name?” the General asked, voice calm.

“CT-2931, Sir,” the shiny replied.

The General looked to Cody, who carefully stared over the shoulder of Waxer in front of him to avoid eye contact. He looked back to CT-2931, who looked utterly _terrified_ , and Cody wasn’t sure if he would be able stop himself from telling off General Kenobi if he decided to yell at his _vod_.

“CT-2931, do you know who threw the paint can at me?” General Kenobi’s voice had a hint of tension hidden behind a carefully-maintained façade of calmness. If CT-2931 could’ve died of fright, Cody was pretty sure the trooper would be dead on the floor. “2931, do you know?” The shiny shook his head and General Kenobi sighed. “Trooper, I don’t like being lied to. Who threw the paint at me?”

CT-2931 looked to Cody, who gave him a sympathetic grimace, before turning back to the General. “W-Waxer did, Sir. But I’m sure–” He was cut off by the General saying a curt ‘thank you, trooper’ and walking towards Cody and Waxer.

On the way, General Kenobi picked up a can of paint. It was at least half-full, as far as Cody could see. “Waxer,” the General said, standing between Cody and his brother, “a little birdy told me that you threw a can of paint at my head? Not going to mention that you shouldn’t even have the paint in the first place.”

“General Kenobi, Sir,” Cody tried to defend Waxer, but the General held up a hand to silence him.

“I’m sure Waxer can explain how I got hit, and how the barracks look like a bomb hit them.” If Cody wasn’t sure the General was about to threaten decommissioning (and that _terrified_ Cody), he could’ve sworn he heard a faint hint of humour in General Kenobi’s voice.

“General, I- I’m sorry, it was an accident,” Waxer apologised, his head bowing slightly to avoid eye contact with the General.

“That doesn’t explain any of my questions, Waxer.”

Cody needed to step in. He didn’t know what General Kenobi was about to do, if he was going to decommission Waxer or just tell him off, but Cody couldn’t take a chance and be stuck with the outcome if he picked wrong. “General Kenobi, it was my fault,” he said, gaining the General’s and every trooper’s attention. “I was in here when they got the paint, and when everything ended up like this. I didn’t step in, so it’s my fault and if anyone is going to get decommissioned, it should be me. I will _not_ allow them to be decommissioned for _having fun_. Sir.” Cody was angry and scared, so the honorific was more an afterthought than anything else.

General Kenobi took a step back in surprise. Cody risked looking him in the eyes and was overwhelmed with the amount of emotion in them – the most prominent being _hurt_ and _fear_. Fear of what? What could make _their_ General afraid?

“Decommission? W-what? Cody, what are you talking about?” The General sounded genuinely fearful, with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He turned his head to Waxer, who looked stunned that anyone could talk to a Jedi General like that and not wind up with a ‘saber through his stomach. “Did you really think I would decommission you?” He looked to all the other troopers, who carefully avoided looking at him. “Did you really think I would do that to any of you?”

It was nearly as silent as when General Kenobi first walked into the barracks. Longshot coughed from a few troopers down from Cody and muttered out a ‘yes, sir,’ on behalf of everyone in the room.

“Oh,” General Kenobi breathed. Cody wasn’t sure if he was aware he even said anything, the sound was so silent. “No, no, no, my dears. I would _never_ send you for decommissioning. I wouldn’t even _joke_ about it.” He sounded distraught, on the edge of hysterical, and Cody just wanted to hug him tightly and never let him go. “I-I’m glad everyone’s having fun. I’m sorry I interrupted you.” The General started to walk back towards the doorway, silent. “Just… make sure to at least clean up the cans after you’re done.”

The door opened and closed with a hiss, and once more the barracks were silent. “Did anyone else have the urge to protect him when he said that?” Wooley asked, the quiet question still loud in the silence. Nearly everyone nodded in reply.

Cody only stared at the closed door, wondering why in the Galaxy the General’s voice sounded like _that_ , and how he could help his General. _Their_ General.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations  
> vod - brother


	4. The Paint Incident Pt. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody and waxer talk to the general about the paint incident

It had been a while since the event affectionately called the ‘Paint Incident’ among the whole ship, and privately called ‘That Time We Made General Kenobi Sad’. Externally, it didn’t seem like General Kenobi was affected much. He still led the 212th to victory in many cases, he grieved over every clone lost in battles, he still held his chin high during council meetings, and he was still exasperated by General Skywalker’s blatant disregard for rules.

However, every time he passed by a group of the 212th involved in the Paint Incident, his eyes and smile would feel... sad. Cody caught him on more than one occasion in his quarters fiddling with the paint can he had picked up from the barracks that day, eyes slightly misty.

Once again Cody stood outside the General’s quarters, except this time he was joined by Waxer. Cody looked to his brother and, after the nod of confirmation, knocked on the General’s door and stood back. The door opened to reveal a tired-looking General Kenobi – although the sight wasn’t uncommon to Cody – who looked between Cody and Waxer as if trying to figure out why they were there.

Cody didn’t know much about the Force (he’d go so far as to say he knew _nothing_ about it, really) but he tried to give the General a sense of calmness, which looked as if it worked a _little_ , as some of the tension seeped out of his shoulders.

“Cody, Waxer,” the General nodded to each of them, “what can I do for you?”

“We have to speak with you, sir,” Waxer said. “It’s a personal matter.”

General Kenobi stepped aside and let them in, closing the door as Cody and Waxer stepped inside. With three people it was a little bit cramped, so the General had to take a seat on the edge of his desk while Waxer took the bed as a seat. Cody once more took the desk chair, moved to the opposite wall to give the General space.

None of them spoke for a while, just sat in silence in each other’s presence. “General,” Cody started, “we want to talk to you about… the paint incident.”

The General straightened his posture. “There is no need to apologise for the incident, Waxer. I’m happy you were all having fun, those barracks were quite bland, weren’t they?” He laughed awkwardly, looking at the space between Waxer and Cody.

“General, with all due respect, I’m sure you know why we came here already,” Waxer deadpanned. Judging by the General’s expression, he did know.

“If this is about what I said, there is nothing to discuss, Waxer. I did not mean to make you think I would send you for decommissioning, and I am sorry,” General Kenobi said with an air of finality.

Cody stood from his chair and regarded his General carefully. “General Kenobi, the 212th is worried about how you’ve been acting around us. We all notice how you look… guilty, every time you look at us.” He held up a hand to silence whatever the General was about to say, getting a look from Waxer. “Waxer and I are here to ask why you seemed so…” Cody paused, searching for the right word to say.

“Why you seemed so distraught, sir,” Waxer finished. “We know you would never get rid of us.”

“Some of us come from battalions where our commanding officer _did_ send our brothers to be decommissioned,” Cody explained. “It’s just the consequences for inadequate work, sir.” The statement definitely didn’t help General Kenobi’s mind, as his eyes widened.

“What kind of…” he trailed off, jaw clenched tightly, and hands curled into fists. “Who could _do_ something like that? Just throw their men away for doing poorly?”

Waxer stood up, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Cody. “You see, sir? We know you would never do that to us. We were all surprised, we didn’t expect you to enter the barracks.”

General Kenobi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, looking much like he did when he was trying to meditate in a camp after a battle. “I would never let anything happen to you, not if I can help it. If anyone wants to _decommission_ any of you, they’ll have to do it over my dead body.” Cody was surprised at the almost growl that came out of his General’s mouth and, by the look they exchanged, so was Waxer.

“General, are you okay?” Waxer asked.

The General sighed deeply and opened his eyes. “I’m fine, Waxer, thank you.” He stood up from the desk and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Make sure everyone knows that I would protect them from decommissioning with my life.”

Cody and Waxer saluted the General, eliciting a smile from the Jedi. “Yes, sir!” they said, although Waxer’s tone was slightly joking. “And General?” Cody asked. General Kenobi hummed in question. “Our door is always open. We’re here for you to talk to about anything.”

General Kenobi laughed quietly as he opened the door. “Thank you, Commander. I’ll remember that.” He looked to Waxer and nodded. “And thank you, Waxer. I’m sorry I frightened some of the shinies.”

“No need to apologise, sir. They’ve been told that you didn’t mean it, already,” Waxer said. He walked out of the door, leaving no time for the General to respond.

As Cody stepped forward to leave as well, General Kenobi pulled him into a side-hug, patting his left shoulder plate before letting go. “I appreciate this, Cody. Thank you,” he said, smiling softly.

Cody returned the smile and nodded. “That’s our duty, General. Protect you.”


	5. Medbay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the general gets sick, the 212th is worried, and cross is less than pleased

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompted by Azteka!

Cross looked just about ready to threaten the next clone that walked into the medbay and Cody couldn’t blame him, really. It seemed the only reason Cody wasn’t staring down the barrel of a blaster was that he was the Commander. The General had caught some kind of sickness on the last planet the 212th had visited and the only person who wasn’t worried for the General was the General himself.

“Honestly, Cody, I’ve been through worse,” General Kenobi said. “It’s only a little sickness.”

Cross chose that time to interject with a ‘that people have died from, sir’ as he passed. The General shot him a playful glare in response.

“Sir, with all due respect, you’re usually one for downplaying symptoms until you’re passed out on the floor. Everyone is worried that you’re about to die,” Cody informed him.

General Kenobi shook his head and smiled. “Well, how about you go tell them that I’m _actually_ fine? There’s nothing to worry about.” Cody looked to Cross, who was flicking through a datapad, and back to the Jedi.

“Is he okay, Cross?”

The medical officer nodded, not taking his eyes off the datapad. “He’s fine for now. I’m keeping him here to see if he’s the type that’s particularly susceptible to the illness,” he replied.

“Fine, but I’ll be back,” Cody relented.

Cross looked up and narrowed his eyes. “I will sedate you if I even see a _hint_ of you back in this medbay. Tell that to everyone else, as well,” he threatened, waving the datapad in Cody’s direction. Cody held up his hands in surrender and left the medbay with one final glance at the General.

* * *

“Is he okay?” was the first thing to be shouted at Cody as he entered the barracks. He held up a hand to silence his _vode_.

“He’s fine, at the moment,” he replied. “Cross is just making sure he’s not susceptible.” All the tension seemed to melt out of the room at Cody’s words. “Also, Cross will sedate you if you go into the medbay. That was a threat.”

A few glances were shared between the clones, especially those who had been on the receiving end of Cross (or any of the medical staff) with a sedative. Some troopers looked like they were definitely sneaking into the medbay later on, and Cody was more than happy to watch the ensuing scuffle with Cross.

“Will Cross sedate _you_ , if you go back there?” Waxer asked. “Maybe we can use you as a shield.”

Cody just looked at Waxer. “I’d need to go in there in full armour with a stun blaster to stand a _chance_ against Cross.” Waxer just nodded.

“Well, go get changed.”

* * *

“What did I tell you?”

Cody put his hands up in surrender.

General Kenobi chuckled from where he was sitting up on his bed, going through datapads with what Cody assumed were reports. “Cross, they’re just worried. Over what, I’m not sure, but let them be.”

In his peripheral vision, Cody could see Waxer nod in agreement from beside him. “Exactly! Don’t stab us!”

Cross rolled his eyes. “ _Di’kut_ ,” he muttered, turning around and walking to one of the other beds that held a _vod_.

“How are you, General?” Waxer asked, leaving his hiding place by Cody’s side and taking a seat on the stool beside the General’s bed.

General Kenobi sighed and shook his head. “I’m _fine_ , Waxer. You’re all being dramatic,” he said, poking at Waxer’s bicep. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“People have died from this disease, sir. We have a lot to worry about,” Cody interjected. Waxer pointed at Cody, nodding in agreement.

“Go tell your _vode_ that I’m fine because apparently they won’t listen to Cody,” the General joked.

Waxer hummed in fake thought. “I think the only thing that will stop them from coming back in here will be if Cross himself goes and tells them that you’re okay,” he laughed.

Cross appeared out of nowhere, startling Cody. “Is that it?” he asked incredulously. “You two, get out of my medbay. I’m going down to the barracks and telling everyone to calm down or they’re getting a sedative in the neck.”

General Kenobi laughed, patting Waxer’s cheek as the trooper stood up. “Go on, I’ll be out of here before you know it.”

“ _Cuyir jahaala_ ,” Cody called as he was all but shoved out the medbay door by Cross. The only reply he got was a laugh from the General and an annoyed ‘hurry up, out!’ from Cross.

Nobody stepped into the medbay until the General was out, after Cross’ not-at-all-disguised threats. Not even Cody dared step foot inside.

(And if some _vode_ didn’t take the threats seriously, then it was their fault when they woke up in the medbay after being ambushed by multiple medical staff. They had been warned.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations:
> 
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> di’kut – idiot; useless individual (lit. ‘someone who forgets to put their pants on’)  
> cuyir jahaala – be healthy


	6. The Paint Incident Pt. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody should've known the general wouldn't give up his guilt so easily

In Cody’s honest opinion, he should’ve known that General Kenobi would not easily give up his guilt over the Paint Incident. For a while, after he and Waxer confronted the Jedi about it, it seemed that the General had understood that none of the 212th blamed him for their momentary fright. It turned out that the General just got _better_ at hiding his guilt.

The only reason Cody discovered this fact was based on pure luck (or, perhaps the Force, if it can even do those things) since he entered the General’s quarters without knocking one day and happened to, once again, find him holding onto the paint can with shiny tears slowly falling down his cheeks.

The General didn’t seem to notice Cody’s presence until the Clone Commander had moved to stand beside the desk chair and placed a hand on the Jedi’s shoulder. The action startled the General violently so that he ended up being held off the floor by Cody’s reflexes grabbing onto the front of the collar of the shirt he was wearing.

“Cody!” the General exclaimed softly, righting himself in the chair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.” He placed the paint can (still miraculously in his hand) on the desk and wiped away the tears on his cheeks. “What can I do for you?”

Cody picked up the paint can. “Permission to speak freely, General?” he asked, swirling the still-liquid paint around.

“Of course, Cody,” General Kenobi said. “You always have permission.”

“You didn’t believe Waxer and me, did you, sir?” Cody asked plainly. The Jedi looked taken aback. “You said you would protect us from decommissioning, but you never said that you stopped blaming yourself for some of us believing that it would happen.”

The General sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It is nothing for you to worry about, Cody,” he said.

“I meant what I said, sir. We will all protect you, just as you protect us. That includes protecting you from your guilt,” Cody insisted. “On Kamino, it was… normal for us to lose a _vod_ one day and never see them again. For ten years, that was how we were treated. If we did something out of line, we would be sent away.” The General looked up, eyes locking with Cody’s. “General, we _know_ that you wouldn’t do that. All of the 212th, even the shinies, know that.”

The General sighed once more and looked at the can in Cody’s hand. “Cody, I…” he trailed off, eyes moving between the paint and the desk. “I wish I could protect every one of you. Yet, I know that I cannot. There have been, and there will continue to be, troopers that die under my command and each death… I _feel_ , Cody. I can feel their life disappear.”

Cody didn’t know what to make of that, so he stayed silent.

“One thing I can control is the troopers on board this fleet,” General Kenobi went on. “Whenever a new group of shinies–” and he said the word _shinies_ with affection in his eyes that Cody knew, for he felt it every time the 212th received new _vode,_ “–come on board, I can control how they’re treated. I can make sure they know that they aren’t just another clone, another soldier to live and die on the battlefield for the Republic.”

There was a long silence in the quarters, as both General and Commander thought about the words that had been said. “I can guarantee, sir,” Cody said, “that, under your command, we all know we’re not just here to die.”

“But when I walked in–”

“When you walked into the barracks that day, everyone was shocked,” Cody interrupted. “Even I was, sir. When Waxer threw the paint can at you–” General Kenobi breathed out a laugh at the mention, “– although it was an accident, we all remembered the consequences of disobedience on Kamino. It was instinct driving our actions, General, not a fear of you.”

Cody let the words sink in as the General stared at his desk in silence, contemplating. “You’re sure?” was the muttered question.

Cody nodded. “General, I have never been surer of anything.”

“ _Vor entye_ , Cody,” General Kenobi said, a soft smile punctuating the sentence.

“ _Mayen par gar_ , General,” Cody responded, finally placing the paint down on the desk once more. “You should paint your armour, sir. Even the shinies’ armour has some colour on it.”

“Maybe I will let you and your _vode_ decide what to paint on it, Cody,” the General replied. “I am not much of an artist.” He gestured to the rack that held the various pieces that Cody had convinced him to wear (after much debate). “There is time before we reach our destination. Take it, I will be happy with whatever markings the 212th give it.”

Cody could think of a few markings the General might _not_ have been happy with, as he collected the pieces from the rack and bid the Jedi farewell, but he didn’t mention them. He’d just have to hope that whatever _unprofessional_ images that may get painted could be covered up easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations
> 
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> vor entye – thank you (lit. ‘I accept a debt’)  
> mayen par gar – anything for you


	7. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody knows when his general is hurt, even when he tries to hide it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not my fav chapter but eh

The 212th and their General had paired up with the 501st and General Skywalker for a mission to attack a Separatist base. It had gone as planned, but Cody, Fives, Jesse and General Kenobi had been split from the rest of the Battalion and Legion when comms went down and were stuck walking through a thick forest hoping to find their camp or somewhere their _vode_ were.

The quickly-made plan was to continue following a pathway a few meters to their left, ducking through the thick brush that was too dense for any stray battle droids to get through, and hope that they would see something one of them recognised. Cody noticed the subtle wince on the General’s face every time he took a step onto his right leg, but it seemed to go unnoticed by the 501st troopers.

“General,” Cody said quietly, “your leg is injured.” Jesse and Fives helpfully stayed back, blasters pointed outwards as the Commander and General talked. General Kenobi looked at Cody, surprised. “I can see you wince when you place weight onto it, sir."

“I’m fine, Cody. Nothing major, I promise,” General Kenobi said, patting Cody’s vambrace.

Cody stared at him, hoping the look translated through his helmet. “Actually fine, sir? Or _jetii_ fine?” The half-hearted glare he received gave him the answer. “We should rest, try to contact General Skywalker.”

“Cody, I’m alright. Let’s just find our way back to camp.”

Cody turned to Fives. “Try raise General Skywalker, tell him that General Kenobi needs to see Kix.” He turned back at the nod from the ARC trooper, ignoring the look from his General. “If you aren’t going to rest, General, then at least see one of the medics when we get back,” Cody offered, knowing that it was the only way to get General Kenobi to see somebody.

And, unsurprisingly, it worked. “Fine, Cody,” the General said, barely a hint of distaining his voice over the thought of needing to see a medic.

The crackling of the comm system interrupted what Cody was going to say next. He and General Kenobi turned to face Fives, who’s comm was projecting a slight-distorted but recognisable image of General Skywalker. “Fives? Status report, our scanners are down, and we couldn’t find you.”

“I’m with Jesse, Commander Cody and General Kenobi, sir,” Fives responded. “None of us are in need of immediate medical, but General Kenobi needs to see Kix when we get to camp, sir.”

Anakin looked surprised. “What? Why?”

Cody stepped beside Fives. “He’s injured his leg, and I gave him an option to rest or to see Kix when we get back to camp, sir.” General Skywalker laughed and nodded in approval.

“I see. You shouldn’t be too far out, then,” General Skywalker said. “Your location is a couple of klicks away from us. I’ll have Kix ready to hound Obi-Wan as soon as you arrive.”

“That really isn’t necessary, Anakin!” General Kenobi attempted to protest, but the other General had already ended the transmission.

Cody chuckled quietly to himself and returned to the General’s side. “We should keep going then, sir. Don’t want to keep Kix waiting on the opportunity of a lifetime.” He grinned and the groan from his General.

Kix really was going to have some fun, chastising General Kenobi. It seemed that every medic had it out for the 212th’s General and his nigh-inescapable need to avoid medical attention until he’s practically passed out from the pain or blood loss. Cody didn’t blame them, really. If it wouldn’t get him stares from every trooper, and possibly a telling-off, he would’ve _dragged_ the General to the medic himself.

Wouldn’t that be a sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translation
> 
> vod - brother  
> jetii - jedi


	8. Butterfingers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody has become way too familiar with general kenobi's lightsaber

Cody had inadvertently become very knowledgeable about General Kenobi’s lightsaber. For all the Jedi talks about ‘your lightsaber is your life’ to General Skywalker, he lost it on the battlefield a concerning number of times.

Cody knew that the General could hold his own without a lightsaber against Dooku or Ventress. He didn’t like it, sure, but General Kenobi’s skills never ceased to amaze the troopers. The only problem is when he’s going against _General_ _kriffing_ _Grevious_ , who is known to be able to wield four lightsabers, without any weapon at all.

“Commander is that…?” one of their newest batch of troopers – Lucky, if Cody remembered right – asked, pointing to a crack in the rocky terrain they were traversing. Cody looked to the gap and saw the tell-tale glint of General Kenobi’s lightsaber in the dust.

He jogged over and picked it up, brushing off the dust and sighing. “Jedi don’t drop their lightsabers, right? What happened to him, Commander?” Cody wondered silently why three of the four troopers he was leading were shinies.

“Most likely nothing, Raven,” Longshot answered. Cody shook his head as the shinies looked at each other in confusion.

“Except that he’s fighting Grievous right now, and _I_ have his lightsaber,” Cody said, clipping the weapon to his belt (which is a testament to how many times his General loses the thing) and adjusting his grip on his blaster. “Let’s go, before he does something stupid.”

Longshot snorted. “Like usual?”

* * *

They found the General fighting Grievous, surrounded by droids with electrostaffs. ‘Fighting’ wasn’t quite correct, considering the General was dodging Grievous’ attempts to cut off an arm or leg while he attempted to find an opening to catch Grievous with the commandeered electrostaff he was holding.

“Surely this isn’t a fair fight, Grievous? You couldn’t at least lend me a ‘saber?” General Kenobi asked, his voice the same teasing tone he always had when fighting.

“Why would I do that, when I can bring your _head_ back as a trophy?” Grievous growled out, increasing his attack.

Cody motioned for his troopers to shoot at the droids surrounding the Generals. “Don’t shoot at Grievous, you might hit the General by mistake,” he warned before lifting his blaster and firing at the nearest droid.

“Cody! Do you have it?” the General called, focus still on the droid General.

“Yes, sir!” Cody shouted, nailing a droid in the head with a blaster shot as it got too close to the General for comfort. There was no reply from the General as he got kicked back into a rock by Grievous, eliciting a quiet groan of pain as his back collided with it. “General!” Cody yelled. He saw Grievous stalk towards General Kenobi, twirling his lightsabers and chuckling to himself.

“You’re mine now, _Kenobi_ ,” the droid General said, raising his lightsabers. Cody knew _that_ wasn’t going to fly.

He shot at Grievous, drawing the droid’s attention away from the General. Cody felt a familiar presence in the corner of his mind, telling him to activate the lightsaber. He sent back a question, just at the General had taught him (albeit in a few minutes before they were sent on another mission) and was surprised at the urgency of the ‘ _Yes!_ ’ that replied.

Cody unclipped the lightsaber and activated it, surprised at how balanced the weapon was despite the fact that the blade had basically no weight to it. He had watched Generals Kenobi and Skywalker (and Commander Tano, when she was available) spar with each other and tried his best to copy General Kenobi’s beginning stance.

“A _clone_ with a lightsaber?” Grievous growled, stalking towards Cody. “Just another to add to my collection.” Cody wasn’t going to pretend he could take General Grievous, so he did his best to get to a position where General Kenobi could intervene and take back his weapon.

Grievous swung both lightsabers in a motion that, if Cody hadn’t ducked and rolled out of the way, would’ve taken the Commander’s head clean off. He kept an eye out for General Kenobi, who winced occasionally as he tried to stand up. Cody hadn’t the time to wonder if the General was okay, as he blocked Grievous’ swing with the lightsaber, sending rattles of aftershock up his arms.

The droid General was much stronger than Cody anticipated, as Grievous forced the Commander to bend backwards to escape the angry humming from the two lightsabers pressing down on him. Cody’s spine was saved by General Kenobi, who pushed the droid away from Cody for long enough that he could get to the Commander’s side.

“You did well, Cody,” General Kenobi said, practically radiating pride. Cody handed over the lightsaber to the Jedi, frowning slightly as he noticed a patch of blood leaking through the General’s outfit on his ( _still_ unarmoured) back. As soon as the General went after Grievous, Cody returned his attention to the droids with electrostaffs. There were only two left, as opposed to the 6 from when the troopers first joined the fight.

He shot at one grappling with Longshot and one of the shinies – either Lucky or Uno, neither had markings on their armour – and drawing its attention long enough so that the shiny could shoot a blaster bolt into its stomach and one in its neck, taking its head clean off. The five of them ganged up on the final droid, surrounding it and puncturing it with blaster fire until it collapsed on the floor, unmoving.

An angry shout came from General Grievous, drawing the attention of the troopers. General Kenobi was standing with two lightsabers in hand, while the droid only had one (and only one arm, as well). “It’s over, Grievous,” General Kenobi said, twirling the lightsabers in his grip. Grievous didn’t seem to agree, yelling angrily and running away, traversing the rocks faster than Cody was sure even General Kenobi could run.

“General, are you okay?” Longshot asked, pausing from his electrostaff collecting.

General Kenobi walked over, deactivating the lightsabers and rolling his shoulders. “I’m fine, Longshot, thank you.” He turned to Cody and smiled. “You did well with the lightsaber, Commander. Maybe I could teach you.”

“I don’t think I’m quite suited for a lightsaber, sir,” Cody replied. “I will leave them in the capable hands of the _jetii_.”

Longshot snorted in laughter. “I think ‘capable’ is a bit of a reach, Cody,” he said. “Considering the amount of times our lovely General has _lost it_.” The shinies turned their heads between Longshot and General Kenobi, and Cody could imagine the horrified look on their faces.

Thankfully, the General just laughed. “I concede, Longshot. However, it does seem to have an affinity for being found by Cody, so I don’t worry too much when it’s not on my belt.” If Cody muttered something along the lines of ‘ _that’s bantha shit, sir’_ as they started trekking back the way they came, nobody reacted as though they heard it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translation
> 
> jetii - Jedi


	9. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody, rex and general kenobi deal with the aftermath of umbara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is one of my favourite chapters (and one of my favourite arcs) in this story.
> 
> might be a little ooc

Cody looked out at the damage, how many brothers were lain on the ground and against trees and rocks who will never wake up again. General Kenobi stood beside him, just as silent as they observed the battlefield. Cody didn’t often cry, couldn’t remember the last time he did, but the tell-tale pressure of tears pushed at the back of his eyes.

“How…” General Kenobi muttered, sounding horrified.

They spotted Rex, whose helmet hung at his side, and walked over to him. Cody tried to tear his eyes away from the _vode_ on the ground but found it nearly impossible until they reached Rex, who looked as broken as Cody felt.

“Rex, are you okay?” General Kenobi asked, placing a hand on the Captain’s bicep. “How did this happen?”

Cody listened intently as Rex told the story about their temporary General. He was almost angry that Krell was dead, so he couldn’t shoot the _demagolka_ himself. He turned to the General, about ask where General Skywalker was called to, when he met General Kenobi’s eyes.

Cody had seen emotion in General Kenobi’s eyes before. Sadness, after a battle, when they burn the dead; worry for General Skywalker and Commander Tano; happiness, after a battle well fought and a celebration well-earned. But the emotion in the General’s eyes as Cody looked over could only be described as barely-contained rage. Not even when Cody and Waxer talked to him after the Paint Incident did he look as angry.

“General?” Cody asked, taking a step away from the General in Rex’s direction. “Are you okay?”

“Where is General Krell, Captain?” General Kenobi grit out.

Rex looked at Cody for a split second. “He’s dead, sir. Dogma shot him,” he explained. Cody hoped Dogma would stay away from the General, just in case.

The General nodded silently. “Good, that’s good. He deserved it.” He sounded absent-minded, so Cody wondered if General Kenobi even knew what he said. “Will you gentlemen give me a few seconds, please.”

Rex and Cody nodded as the General turned around and walked purposefully ( _stalked_ didn’t fit the General) towards the nearest batch of trees. Although he was blocked by the ship, Rex and Cody – as well as the few other troopers behind and around them – heard the tell-tale hum of an activated lightsaber. Nobody moved, only listened as the sound of splintering wood and buzzing lightsaber echoed throughout the makeshift camp.

After a few long, tedious moments, the General returned. His lightsaber hung from his belt and it seemed that whatever tension he held in his shoulders had disappeared. As he got closer, though, Cody could still see the anger in his eyes.

“How many troopers were lost?” the General asked, looking between the small group.

“Uh, we haven’t had the time to count yet, sir,” Boil said from behind Cody, his voice heavy. “Upwards of 30 right now.”

General Kenobi sighed. “We should gather them all. Rex, I want you and Dogma to find everyone involved in this battle. Tell them we’re all going to meet on the training deck, I have some things to say.” Rex nodded and turned away, tugging Dogma along as he passed.

A few more orders were given out, until it was just Cody and General Kenobi standing alone, watching the troopers do their given tasks. “General, are you okay?” Cody asked, looking towards the General. He was standing tall, as usual, but his hands were wringing behind his back, pulling at his robes as they clumped together in his fingers. “General?” he added, when he received no response.

“I should’ve known,” was the mumbled answer.

Cody frowned. “Known what, sir?”

“About Krell, that… _monster_. I should’ve known, Cody. I should’ve been able to sense it, that he was no Jedi.” The General turned to Cody, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. “If I knew–”

Cody grabbed his General’s forearm and shook his head. “There was nothing you could’ve done, sir,” he insisted, putting as much surety behind his words as he could.

“Cody–”

“Obi-Wan.” The use of the Jedi’s first name seemed to shock the General. “Unless you can, I don’t know, _see the future_ or something, there was absolutely nothing you could have done.” The General shook his head in disagreement, but Cody persisted. “No, General. I’m not listening to any excuses you say. Nobody except for Krell and whoever he was working for would have been able to see what happened here.”

“Um… C-Commander, General,” came a shaking voice. Cody didn’t recognise the 501st trooper, but he didn’t seem to be handling the aftermath of the battle well. “What are we going to do with our fallen brothers? We can’t just leave them here.”

Cody placed a hand on the shiny’s shoulder and gave a grim smile. “Don’t you worry, _vod’ika_ , we will give them the goodbye they deserve.” The shiny nodded and wiped at his eyes. “Come on, let’s go help everyone.” Cody began to lead him away, looking back to the General for a second as they left. Cody received a small smile in return.

* * *

Cody found the General on the outskirts of the clearing where the funeral pyre had been built and lit. He had his head bowed and wasn’t talking to any of the troopers that filled the clearing. Cody made his way over slowly, muttering replies and giving sad smiles to whomever he passed.

Cody stood beside the General silently when he reached him, staring into the burning fire and pretending the tears slowly crawling down his cheeks were because of the hot flames and smoke.

He realised the General was muttering to himself when Cody looked over and saw his mouth moving. Cody had to listen carefully, but the tears flowed harder when he realised what the General was saying.

“ _Ni ceta, ni ceta, ni ceta_.” Cody had heard the phrase very few times in his life, and all of those times put together didn’t add up to the amount of times his General was saying it. “ _Ni ceta… ret’urcye mhi_.” Cody knelt down in front of the General, forcing himself into the Jedi’s field of view.

The General broke out of his trance, blinking quickly at the Commander. “C-Cody?” he questioned.

“There is nothing to apologise for, _jet’ika_ ,” Cody murmured, pulling the General down to the ground with him. The General all but collapsed into Cody’s arms, burying his face in the (definitely uncomfortable to lean on) plastoid shoulder pads.

“It’s my fault,” the General cried, his body shaking in Cody’s arms. “I should’ve known.”

“No, no _cyar'ika_. Nothing here is your fault,” Cody shushed. He got the nearest trooper’s attention by tapping their leg. “Find Rex,” he told them, not waiting for a response as he turned his attention back to the shaking General. He pulled his gloves off using his teeth, ignoring the metallic and dusty taste, and ran his fingers through his General’s hair.

A touch to Cody’s shoulder caught his attention, and he turned to find Rex squatted beside him, looking at the General. “Come on, _vod_ , there’s a transport waiting for us. Thought the General should go first.”

Cody nodded in reply. He slightly pulled away from the General, who eventually broke the embrace and wiped at his eyes. “We’re going back to the ship, sir. There’s a transport waiting for us.”

The General looked around, looking confused at the troopers surrounding the three of them. “I need to stay–” he started, but was interrupted by Rex.

“Sir, you are in no state to stay here right now,” the Captain insisted. “I’ve left some troopers in charge of everyone, you can go.”

Cody was prepared to force him to leave, but eventually, General Kenobi stood up and brushed dirt away from his robes and armour. “Okay,” he muttered quietly, voice still watery.

Cody took his arm gently and followed Rex through the crowd of troopers toward the waiting transport. Everyone moved out of the way for them, noticing either Rex’s determined stare or General Kenobi’s red-rimmed eyes, and Cody nodded in thanks.

The transport was empty, save for the pilot, so Rex and Cody stood resolutely on both sides of General Kenobi like bodyguards. They kept the position when they landed on _The Negotiator_ and the whole way to the General’s personal quarters.

“This isn’t necessary, boys,” General Kenobi said, sitting down on the bed. “I’m fine.” Rex looked at Cody, entirely unconvinced. Cody mirrored the look to his General, who ducked his head and avoided eye contact.

Cody squatted in front of the General. “General, you clearly aren’t fine. I was there with you planet-side, and you look barely better than down there.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” the General said to Cody. He looked up to Rex and added, “you too, Rex.”

Cody placed a hand on the General’s knee. “I’m sorry you feel it’s your fault, sir. I can guarantee that _nobody_ else thinks that.” He stood up and stepped back. “You should sleep, sir. I know you haven’t had much rest. Rex and I will take care of everything else, so you don’t have to worry.”

General Kenobi’s eyes flicked to the datapads sitting on the desk, but he didn’t say anything about paperwork. Instead, he just nodded and begun the process of taking off his armour pieces. Rex turned and left the room, saying goodbye with a hand lingering on Cody’s vambrace. “Cody,” the General said, interrupting Cody’s turning to leave. “Could you… stay here? Until I fall asleep, that is.”

Cody nodded. “Of course, General,” he replied, sitting in the desk chair. He waited until the General was curled up in the bed, covered in a blanket, before muttering out, “ _Gar shuk meh kyrayc_.”

“Thank you, Cody.” The General’s voice was quiet, tired, and it wasn’t long before his breathing evened out in the familiar sleeping pattern. Cody vowed silently to himself that _nothing_ like that battle would ever happen again. Not if he could help it. Not as long as Cody was _alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations
> 
> vod – brother  
> demagolka – someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster  
> vod’ika – little brother  
> ni ceta – I’m sorry (lit. ‘I kneel’); a grovelling apology  
> ret’urcye mhi – goodbye (lit. ‘Maybe we’ll meet again’)  
> jet’ika – little Jedi  
> cyar'ika – sweetheart/darling  
> Gar shuk meh kyrayc – said to encourage someone to take a rest (lit. ‘You’re no use dead’)


	10. Cuddle Pile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the negotiator's cooling systems break, and the 212th warm their general up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was actually prompted but i already wrote it so, this is for Runin <3

“Gentlemen, I’m sure this isn’t necessary at all.”

The complaint from their General went largely unheard or ignored by the clones surrounding him. Cody, who had been given the best spot, only hummed in acknowledgement as he curled further into the General’s side.

“We don’t want our _jetii_ getting sick from the cold, sir,” Boil commented from the other side of the General, his fingers tangled up with Cody’s own over the General’s stomach. It was barely a chill, really. The cooling system on _The Negotiator_ malfunctioned and now every room was colder than usual, but certainly not freezing. That fact didn’t stop the entire 212th from piling into one of the barracks and dragging their General along with them.

Cody had graciously been given first pick of where to lie down, so he pulled General Kenobi with him in the space beside one of the bunks. Boil had, soon after, wriggled his way between the General and the wall, much to a few still-standing clone’s dismay. Cody was pretty sure the General’s legs were covered in a ‘blanket’ of bodies.

“But isn’t this a bit over the top, Boil?” the General asked, turning his head to face Boil. Cody opened his eyes to see Boil’s answer and smirked as his _vod_ shook his head. “Are you always like this, when it’s cold?”

Lucky – who had made home practically curled around Cody’s head and shoulders – hummed in agreement. “Body heat is the best way to stay warm in a cold environment,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“And, sir, you _jetii_ are prone to getting cold,” Cross mumbled, his voice muffled by either a pillow, blanket, or somebody’s shoulder. “Don’t want to see you in medbay for hypothermia because you refuse a cuddle.” General Kenobi huffed out a laugh, sending a thin cloud of breath into the air.

“This isn’t–” Someone slapped a hand over the General’s mouth before he could continue. A quiet ‘shh’ followed the movement. Cody shuffled so that he could hook his left leg over General Kenobi’s (ignoring the quiet complaints from Lucky and those on the General’s legs) and pressed his forehead into the General’s neck.

General Kenobi laughed and wrapped an arm around Cody’s head, pressing his cheek to the top of the Commander’s head. “Someone’s affectionate,” he joked. Cody just hummed and breathed in the flowery scent of his General. “Boys, I’m getting warm in here, at least let _some_ air on me.”

Cody looked to Boil again, who moved so that he was kneeling beside the General’s shoulder. “Cody, move over here,” he said. Cody squinted at him in confusion, which got him a sigh. Boil grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the General, who let out an ‘oof’ at the sudden weight.

Nobody on the General’s legs complained, since they were already moving to claim Cody’s previous position at the General’s side. Boil grinned and retook his place, throwing an arm across Cody’s neck. Cody accepted his fate as a blanket and wrapped himself around the Jedi. He hummed in happiness as the General leaned his head to where Cody had pressed his forehead to the General’s shoulder.

“You’re all cats,” General Kenobi said. “My _cyare verde_.”

“ _Cuun jetii_ ,” Lucky replied, sounding like he was about to fall asleep.

A murmured agreement went around the barracks, most of the sounds made by either asleep or half-asleep _vode_ , only replying because of their brothers. Cody felt lips press against his crown and a quiet “sweet dreams, _verd’ika_ ,” whispered.

Surrounded by his _vode_ and their _jetii_ , Cody snuggled into the General more and let the feeling of happiness and safety wash over him, coaxing him sweetly into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> jetii – Jedi  
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> cyare verde – beloved soldiers  
> cuun jetii – our Jedi  
> verd’ika – little soldier


	11. Crystal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody finds a crystal necklace that has some strange side-effects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was prompted by Azteka! it's split into multiple parts because it became too long for one chapter (whoops)
> 
> i'm also posting this earlier than usual because i'm going to be away from my computer for the weekend. possibly no upload tomorrow (or maybe a late one).

‘Shore leave’ wasn’t exactly the reason the 212th had been stationed on-planet (the name of which Cody wouldn’t even _try_ pronouncing), but it was how most of them were treating it. The native population of the planet – humanoid creatures with avian-like feathers coating their body – were kind enough to not question if the troopers shouldn’t be so laid-back, so Cody had run into a few _vode_ not-so-subtly drinking alcoholic drinks while they were supposed to be on guard duty, but he politely pretended he didn’t notice. With the small number of credits he had obtained, Cody was wandering around the marketplace.

A particular stall caught his eye as what was being sold glinted in the sunlight. Cody made his way over, nodding in greeting to the stall’s owner – a person with light blue and grey feathers – as he looked over the items. It seemed to be crystals of some kind that Cody hadn’t seen before. Each crystal seemed to be uniquely shaped, but all were a pretty blue colour.

One crystal, in particular, caught Cody’s attention, seemingly glittering brighter than the rest. It was connected to a cord by a series of intricate knots that wound around the crystal, holding it steadily in place. Something about the crystal made Cody reach out for it, gently picking it up from the table.

“Ah, is that the one you would like?” the stall owner asked. Cody looked up at them and nodded. The bird-person smiled and told him the price (lower than Cody would’ve imagined, but he wasn’t complaining). After exchanging the credits, Cody thanked the owner and tucked the crystal necklace away safely. He would put it on when the 212th returned to _The Negotiator_. For now, he would enjoy the unofficial shore leave while he could.

* * *

Cody shot at the droids in front of him quickly, loading and re-loading cartridges for his blaster with barely a pause in shots. It seemed with every shot, a droid was falling to the floor but there was a lot of blaster fire, so it was likely that there was another trooper aiming for the same droid at times.

Something in Cody’s mind told him _Left! Shoot!_ He didn’t have time to question it as he turned to the left and shot (without much aiming) at a group of droids who had managed to sneak around to their flank. He shouted out as much in fewer words to his _vode_ , who joined him in quickly disposing of the droids.

The rest of the battle was – in terms of wartime – relatively uneventful. Cody only ended up with a black burn on his right pauldron where he got hit by a stray droid blaster shot, which was lucky for him. General Kenobi didn’t end up with as much luck as he did, however, and was being harassed by Cross to ‘ _get your_ shebs _to the med tent, General.’_

Cody laughed to himself and walked over to save the General from their annoyed medical officer. As he walked over, General Kenobi looked at him, eyes flicking downwards slightly. “Cross, I really _am_ fine,” the General said, placing a hand on Cross’ forearm.

“General, if I scan you right now I can guarantee I will find something wrong with you,” Cross deadpanned. “Commander Cody­–” he looked over to Cody, “–do you have anything wrong with you?”

Cody stopped beside the General. “I’m fine, Cross. I got hit with a blaster shot in the shoulder, but that’s all.”

Cross didn’t look impressed, but he let it go anyway. “General, I’m going to see you in the med tent in the next 30 minutes, or I’m going to knock you out and deal with you on _The Negotiator_ ,” he threatened. He turned and walked towards the medical tent in their camp, muttering about _‘idiot_ jetii.’

“I wouldn’t take that threat lightly, sir,” Cody commented.

General Kenobi shook his head, smiling slightly. “Neither would I. He just worries too much.” Cody gave the General a look that he hoped translated through his helmet. “Your Force signature is different, Commander. Did something happen?”

Cody frowned as he removed his helmet. “No, sir. I wasn’t aware they _could_ change,” he said.

“They usually change with emotions or events. Are you okay, Cody?” The General sounded worried, and his beard-stroking seemed thoughtful.

“I’m fine, sir. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened,” Cody replied. The crystal necklace – tucked firmly underneath his blacks and armour – seemed to warm up against Cody’s skin as the General hummed.

“Do tell me if anything is wrong, Cody,” General Kenobi said. “I’m always here.”

“Of course, General.”

As the Jedi walked towards the med tent (thankfully), the crystal cooled down once more. Something pushed Cody to follow the General ( _Stay! Happy!_ ), but he shook his head and gave himself the duty of checking in on the soldiers instead.

* * *

Cody was staring out into the darkness on watch. His _vode_ and General slept soundly in the cave behind him and Trapper sat on the other side of the entrance, covering Cody’s blind spots. Cody fingered the crystal necklace gently, wrapping and unwrapping its cord around his fingers.

 _Something-wrong_.

Cody looked around. The hairs on his neck stood up and a chill fell through his spine. An alarm was going off in his mind, but he couldn’t find the source of the problem.

_Trapper! Duck!_

“Get down!” Cody shouted to Trapper, still not even sure what the danger _was_. He tucked his head to his knees just as a whistle rang through the air, followed by a quiet thud as something buried itself in the dirt wall behind them.

Cody’s blaster was out and pointed at the darkness before he could blink. He and Trapper were joined by General Kenobi (who apparently _wasn’t_ sleeping) and his lightsaber soon after. The crystal warmed up against his chest as the General looked to Cody. “Cody? What happened?” the General asked, deactivating his lightsaber.

Cody turned and looked at the wall, pulling out a dart-like projectile from the packed dirt. “We were shot at, sir,” he said, holding out the dart. Their General took it from his hands and inspected it closely.

“Lucky you ducked, Commander,” he said, “this would’ve knocked you both out cleanly.” Cody frowned and stared back out into the darkness, where the darts came from. “I think your attackers are gone, Cody. I can’t feel anything out there.”

“How did you know, Cody?” Trapper asked, holstering his blaster. “I didn’t even _see_ anything.”

“I just… had a feeling.” Cody knew how dumb that sounded, but it was true. Both Trapper and General Kenobi raised an eyebrow, but Trapper looked like he was about to call Cody out for lying and the General looked curious.

“I think you two have had enough excitement for one night. I’ll wake up Longshot and Bird, then you can come inside and sleep,” the General said. Cody and Trapper nodded in response, staring out into the darkness as the Jedi left them to wake their _vode_.

As they switched shifts, Cody decided (was nudged by _something_ in his head) to pick a spot along the wall beside General Kenobi to rest. He brushed off the General’s suggestion to go and actually _lay down_ with his _vode_ , saying that he was fine sitting upright. He didn’t say it was because he liked the way the crystal around his neck hummed happily when he sat beside the Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations
> 
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> shebs – backside, rear, butt  
> jetii – Jedi


	12. Crystal Pt. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody has a nightmare and he finds out more about the necklace

Cody looked around, wondering where in the galaxy he was. He turned around and was met with a red ray-shield, blocking him from entering the room in front of him. He could see a red and black Zabrak fighting with a shiny (Padawan, Cody reminded himself) Jedi, their lightsabers humming and whirring as they fought.

The Padawan cut the Zabrak in half (Cody had never seen a Jedi fight with such _aggression_ before) and threw him down the hole in the floor, breathing heavily. Only when the Padawan turned and let out a sob did Cody notice the other person in the room, lying still on the floor. The ray shield dropped, letting Cody step through and watch as the Padawan all but dropped beside the man.

Cody noticed a hole in the older man’s chest, distinctly lightsaber-shaped, and felt a pang of sympathy in his chest; Umbara was still uncomfortably fresh in his mind. He slowly walked towards the crying Padawan and (who Cody assumed was) his Master.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” the Padawan sobbed, clutching at his Master’s robes. “Please don’t leave me again. I’ll do better, I will. Please don’t go.” The older Jedi was limp in his arms, unresponsive. Cody took another step forward, which snapped the Padawan’s attention to him.

He was met with familiar blue eyes and he almost stepped back in shock. “General?” he asked hesitantly.

“Cody? What… what are you doing here?” General Kenobi asked. “I… no, no, you’re not here. You _weren’t here_.” The General (Cody didn’t know if the title was still relevant, wherever they were) turned back to the older man and pressed their foreheads together. “You’re okay, you weren’t here. You–”

All of a sudden the General turned back towards Cody, eyes wide and panicky. “Cody! Look out!”

Before he could even react, a burning pain erupted from Cody’s chest, spreading quickly through his body. He looked down and saw a red lightsaber coming out from where his heart resided, humming angrily.

“Cody!”

The General’s scream was cut off as Cody collapsed, the world going black before he even hit the ground.

* * *

Cody woke with a start, breathing heavily with burning pain in his chest still. He pressed his hand to his heart and was surprised to find the crystal necklace burning up. He squinted at the chronometer, finding it barely 0200 hours and sighed.

 _General Kenobi_.

Right, the General. Cody had no idea what happened, but he should check on the General, just in case. Make sure the man was _asleep_. That’s all.

Cody quietly jumped from the bunk, socks thankfully saving him from the cold flooring _The Negotiator_ often had at these hours, and pulled on his boots. He nodded quietly to a few _vode_ who were awake as he left the barracks, heading towards the General’s quarters on muscle memory.

As he moved closer to the General, the crystal cooled down ever so slowly. He really should’ve asked what type of crystal it was when he bought it, so he could find out why it acted the way it did.

The door was opened before Cody had the chance to stop in front of it, revealing a dishevelled and tired-looking General. “Cody,” the General breathed, seemingly relieved to see his Commander.

“Sir,” Cody greeted, not sure how to explain what he was doing there. It appeared he didn’t need to, as he was (for lack of a better word) dragged into the room. “General are you–” He was cut off by arms wrapped around his middle and the General’s head pressed firmly into his shoulder, filling his nose with the familiar and distinct scent of flowers and tea.

Cody wrapped his arms back around the General, rubbing the Jedi’s back soothingly in a way he had done so many times with his _vode_. The crystal was a cool temperature against his chest, which seeped through his blacks and relaxed his tensed muscles, washing Cody with a sense of _calm_ and _safe-now_.

They stood there for a while in silence. Cody’s mind hummed _okay-now_ and _happy_ and _safe_ as he held the Jedi, making him relax for the first time since the war started. When the General pulled away, he looked apologetic.

“I apologise, Cody. I’m not sure–”

Cody interrupted him, not quite caring for politeness, “you had a nightmare, didn’t you?” The General froze, staring at Cody with wide eyes. “It was… you killed that Zabrak, but that man still died.”

“How do you know that?” General Kenobi sounded _extremely_ suspicious. “I’ve never told anyone about that.”

Cody fiddled with the crystal, which was no longer giving off the relaxing coolness. General Kenobi followed his hands, watching silently. “I think I was… in the same nightmare. I got killed.”

“It was Maul,” the General whispered. “The Zabrak I fought, he… he was _still alive,_ and he _killed you_ , Cody.” Cody placed a hand on the General’s arm, trying to comfort the Jedi.

“General, I…”

“Where did you get that crystal?” General Kenobi asked suddenly. “Do you know what it is?”

Cody shook his head. “I got it back when we had that unofficial shore-leave. I wasn’t even looking for it, really.”

“It called out to you, though, didn’t it?” Cody nodded, confused. “It’s a kyber crystal, my Commander. I guess it chose you to be its owner.” Cody wracked his mind for information relating to kyber crystals, as the General pulled out his lightsaber and held it up to Cody’s necklace.

The crystal around his neck hummed happily, once more flooding Cody’s body with coolness. Something in Cody’s mind reverberated with _happy_ , _home_ , and _yes-stay-here_.

“Kyber crystals are used in lightsabers,” the General explained. “We send younglings to find their crystals before they build their first lightsabers. That one chose you, Cody.” Cody slipped off the necklace and held it in his hands, still receiving the _good-here_ thoughts.

“It… it’s happy when you’re around,” Cody said, feeling a little crazy. No way are crystals _sentient_. Then again, usually, these kinds of things were filed away under ‘strange Jedi things’ among the clones.

General Kenobi hummed thoughtfully. “Wait for a second,” he said. He sat down on the ground, which Cody mirrored, and placed his lightsaber on the ground between them. He placed his hands on his knees and closed his eyes, looking at peace.

Cody watched, fascinated, as the lightsaber slowly rose off the ground and began to pull itself apart. Each bolt and section disconnecting and removing itself from the whole with careful precision. When a shining crystal emerged from the centre, Cody’s crystal hummed with excitement, filling his mind with _yes-good!_ over and over.

The General held open his hand and the crystal floated into it as the lightsaber parts placed themselves gently on the ground. The Jedi opened his eyes and smiled softly at Cody, holding out his hand with the crystal in it. Cody copied the movement, placing his own hand and crystal beside the General’s.

_Home! Yes! Stay-here!_

Cody had to close his eyes as a wave of calm and happiness flooded his body, seemingly coming from nowhere. When it stopped (replaced by a strange pang of _come-back_ ), he opened his eyes and looked to the General, who had pulled away his own crystal.

“Does it always do that, sir?” Cody asked, slightly shaken.

The General hummed and stroked his beard. “I’ve never felt something like that before,” he replied. “I’ve never read about anything like that happening, either.”

 _Come-back-please._ _Happy-with-you._

General Kenobi laughed quietly. “I don’t think they were very happy about being separated.” Cody nodded, sliding the necklace back over his head. “I’ll have to find out why it does that,” the General said. “I have a suspicion that your crystal was the reason you shared my… nightmare. It won’t happen again, I’m sure.” He didn’t look too convinced, but Cody let it slide.

“I won’t bother you any longer, sir,” Cody said, standing from the floor. “ _Jate nuhoy_ , General.” General Kenobi smiled and nodded at him, placing his crystal on the floor among the lightsaber parts.

“ _Jate nuhoy, al’verde_ ,” he replied softly.

As Cody left the General’s quarters, the crystal didn’t seem to be sad. It just sent waves of _back-soon_ and _love_ through Cody’s mind, the latter of which the clone politely ignored the possible meanings of. That was something to think of when it _wasn’t_ two in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> jate nuhoy – good sleep [closest i could get to 'sleep well']  
> al’verde – commander


	13. Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the general is missing. cody and boil are not happy about this development

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> requested by Ruinin! this got a bit longer than other chapters, but there isn't a nice place to cut it off so here's just a long chapter fellas

The last question Cody wanted to be asked as he returned to camp was “where’s the General?” because that meant that he _wasn’t_ in the camp – where he _should be_. He should’ve known when his crystal had thrummed unhappily for the past 10 standard minutes, which he passed off as its unhappiness about being separated from the General’s own kyber crystal.

“We haven’t seen him at all, Cody,” Boil explained when questioned. “We all thought he was with you and the scout team.” Cody could see the almost-contained look of panic in Boil’s eyes and face.

Cody placed a comforting hand on Boil’s shoulder. “We’ll go out and find him, Boil. Don’t worry. Our _jetii_ is strong.” Boil nodded in reply, grabbing Cody’s wrist as he did so. “We should comm him, see if he just got lost.”

Boil let go of Cody’s wrist so that the Commander could access his comm. They waited as the comm unit beeped steadily, each beep increasing Cody’s anxiety. Usually the General answered his comm as soon as he was raised, the only times he didn’t being when he was asleep, preoccupied, or _injured_.

After _way too long_ , the comm crackled to life as a holo of the General appeared above Cody’s wrist. Boil gripped Cody’s other wrist tightly as they both took in the sight of their General. “General!” Cody called, his heart beating along with the racing tempo of his kyber crystal.

General Kenobi looked up, smiling weakly. “Cody, I’m glad to see you,” he said, his breaths coming out too heavily for Cody’s liking.

“What happened?” Boil asked, anxiously signalling _be safe_ repeatedly against Cody’s wrist.

“Boil?” The General sounded happy to see the trooper. “I… got attacked. Tried to help a trooper, but it was a trap…” Cody exchanged looks with Boil before turning back to the comm unit.

“Are you hurt, General? Do you know where you are?” Cody asked.

The General laughed, which turned into a coughing fit that made Cody’s stomach turn. “I am… very, very hurt, Commander. I have no clue where I am, and I’m cut off from the Force. If you can spare a few men, I would appreciate it if you could come find me.”

“I don’t think so,” came the unmistakable voice of a battle droid before the comm crackled and fell away to static, cutting out soon after.

“ _Osik!_ ” Boil hissed. Cody agreed wholeheartedly. “We have no idea where he is, he’s injured enough that he _admitted_ to it, and there’s bloody clankers there.”

“We’ll find him, Boil. I promise you, we’ll get him back,” Cody assured his brother. “We’re not going to lose our Jedi to a bunch of seppies, not while we’re around.” Boil nodded, jaw clenched and eyes determined.

They were able to track the General’s position with the help of one of the _vode_ who specialised in tracking people via technology (Tracker, was his very fitting name). Cody had immediately put together a team of 5 troopers to go to the coordinates of the General’s transmission which, at his _vod_ ’s insistence, included Boil.

“You can’t let me sit here while someone I care about is in trouble, Cody,” Boil said. “Not again.”

“Never, _vod_ ,” Cody replied. “We’re leaving now. Let’s go find our _jetii_ and show those clankers what the 212th is capable of.”

“They’ve got no chance,” Boil all but growled in reply. Cody nearly felt sorry for whoever took their General. Nearly.

* * *

The closer they got to the coordinates Tracker gave them, the antsier all the troopers in the squad were. They were all crouched in a trench in front of a cave hidden in a cliff face, awaiting Cody’s next orders. Cody himself was scanning the cave with his HUD, wondering why he couldn’t find any heat signatures inside.

His kyber crystal hummed with impatience and _hurry-up!_ , which was being silently echoed by Boil’s shuffling beside him. “Why are we waiting, Cody?” Boil asked, finger running over the trigger to the blaster in his hands.

“I can’t find any heat signatures in there, it could be a trap,” Cody replied, loud enough for the other troopers to hear. “I don’t want us to be captured as well as our General.”

“The longer we wait, the bigger the chance he’ll get hurt, Cody!” Boil shouted. The kyber crystal agreed, sending a wave of _let’s-go!_ that nearly knocked Cody over with its intensity.

He sighed and nodded, waving the signal for _go_ at the troopers. Despite the urgency, they all carefully walked towards the entrance, blasters in front of them and ready to shoot. The cave felt cold as they entered it, HUDs giving them near-perfect vision in the darkness.

“I don’t like this place,” Lucky muttered from Cody’s left. “Something feels wrong.”

Cody had to stop himself from shooting the silver item that caught Cody’s attention as he accidentally hit it with his boot.

_No-no-no!_

Cody bent down and picked the item up, his stomach and heart dropping as his hands curled around the familiar grip of his _jetii_ ’s lightsaber. Horrified gasps reached his helmet’s microphone, as well as a growl or two, but he couldn’t hear them over his own pulse reverberating in his ears.

“They’re dead,” Boil growled, rivalling Wolffe’s angry speeches Cody had been privy to during their training on Kamino.

“Let’s go,” Cody said, clipping the lightsaber (both crystals resonating quietly in his mind) to his belt. He led the small group further into the cave, following little nudges from the crystals as he navigated the cave.

They had been walking for (in Cody’s opinion) for too long when the crystals suddenly went quiet. “Wait,” he said, holding his arm up to stop Boil from walking forward more. “Something strange is here. Stay sharp.”

“Did you hear that?” Trip asked.

The cave fell silent as every trooper listened intently for what their _vod_ heard. It seemed like nothing would happen until a quiet, echoing laugh surrounded them faintly, followed by someone speaking in a language Cody didn’t understand.

“Someone’s there,” Boil muttered, shifting in place.

“Everyone quiet, don’t make any unnecessary noises,” Cody ordered as he continued walking, scanning the tunnel to make sure they weren’t ambushed. At some point, the darkness gave way to lit-up tunnels, which meant they were getting closer.

Occasionally they would hear someone talking, the words growing louder as they continued, but nobody said anything. Cody wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hear the General’s voice respond or not. Neither option was good at that point.

As they reached a T-section, footsteps caused the group to flatten themselves to the cave walls, holding their breaths. Two droids passed their hiding place, taken out quickly by Cody and Trip with barely a sound. Cody signalled them to keep walking, following the path the droids had come from.

It went wrong when a droid’s shout of “Hey!” was followed by an alarm echoing around the tunnels. A blaster was fired, taking off the droid’s head, but it was already too late. Thankfully, no droids were coming from the direction Cody was leading the troopers, so they bolted down the tunnels, not thinking twice about the turns they were taking.

Eventually (with a lot of luck on their side, Cody believed) they reached a room that looked like a control room. Monitors showed camera footage from cells (mostly empty), and Cody immediately set about locating where General Kenobi was.

“Cody! I found him!” Boil called. Cody walked over, looking over his brother’s shoulder at the security footage.

On the floor of a cell sat their Jedi, back against one wall and feet pressed against the other. He looked like shit; Cody had to admit. Deep red stained his once-beige robes and, from what Cody could see, cuts littered his hands and face. Boil’s hand clenched the desk the monitor sat upon hard enough that Cody knew his knuckles would be white with the strain.

“Why is there nobody here?” Trip asked, looking around the room from beside Cart, who had his head in a control panel full of wires. “You’d think they would protect this place better, especially with a Jedi here.”

“Don’t jinx it, idiot,” Lucky hissed, flicking through cameras on another monitor.

The alarm turned off as Cart emerged from the control panel with a wire in hand, end clearly ripped out of wherever it was connected. “I don’t know if they have a backup alarm somewhere, but we should get the General before we find out,” Cart commented, dropping the wire.

“Wait, can you find out what might be stopping the Force here?” Cody asked. “There’s nothing on the General that looks like Force inhibitors, so it must be surrounding the whole place,” he added after he received some strange looks.

Cart nodded and looked back in the panel. Cody and Boil kept an eye on the General while their _vod_ worked, eyes sharp for any minute movement that told them their Jedi was still alive.

All of a sudden, Cody’s mind was flooded with _go-go!_ and the obvious _danger-here get-out_. The General’s head looked up at the same time – and Cody didn’t miss the sigh of relief from Boil – revealing more blood covering his left eye. Cody looked to Cart and nodded in thanks. “Let’s go, we’ve got a Jedi to rescue,” he said.

Nobody argued with that.

* * *

After retrieving a map of the area (Force knows why they had one, but Cody was _not_ about to complain) they stalked down the tunnels silently, listening for anymore speaking and blasting the heads off droids before they even noticed the group was there.

“He should be down this corridor,” Cart said, pointing to their left. Cody went first, pointing his blaster at the figure he was met with. His troopers followed, so the Twi’lek had 5 blasters pointed at him from five _very pissed off_ clones.

“Ah, clones. Come to die, have you?” the Twi’lek asked, grinning.

Boil hissed, but didn’t say anything. “You have something of ours,” Cody said calmly. “Give him back, or face the consequences.”

The Twi’lek laughed, the sound echoing loudly in the corridor. “ _Yours_? You’re in no position to threaten me right now, _clone_.” An angry hum reached Cody’s ears as the Twi’lek activated a sharp red lightsaber. “But, if you want _your_ Jedi back,” he mocked, “come and get him.”

The corridor was quickly filled with blaster fire and a lightsaber moving so fast Cody could barely keep up with its movements. The crystal in General Kenobi’s lightsaber tried to convince Cody to activate it, but Cody didn’t trust himself in such tight quarters to use it.

“Cody! He’s protecting the door, we have to get over there,” Boil shouted over the echoing blaster fire.

_Lightsaber! Lightsaber!_

Maybe Cody should’ve taken the General up on learning how to ‘saber fight, he thought absently as he sighed.

“Everyone get out of the way, I would rather not slice off a limb,” Cody said to the four troopers. He could feel the stares of incredulity turn into realisation as he unclipped the lightsaber from his belt, and they moved away from him while continuing their blaster fire.

The familiar weight and power of the ‘saber calmed Cody slightly as he activated it, praying to whichever higher power would listen that he wasn’t doing something stupid. A gap in the Twi’lek’s defence presented itself as he was supposedly surprised at the appearance of the blue lightsaber, which gained the Twi’lek a few blaster hits on his skin.

Cody rushed forward, meeting the red lightsaber with his General’s. His mind was flooded with instructions of what to do, which Cody followed without much question, and he slowly but surely pushed the Twi’lek backwards, away from the cell door he was guarding.

_Duck-now!_

Cody fell to the ground as one blaster bolt found its way to where his head used to be, and to where the Twi’leks head had replaced it. He turned around quickly, lightsaber raised, to find a helmet-less Boil pointing a blaster at him, glaring daggers to the fallen Twi’lek.

“How did you know I would duck?” Cody asked, taking a glance at the Twi’lek and deactivating both his and the General’s lightsaber.

Boil shrugged. “How did you know you should?” he countered. Cody just nodded in acceptance.

“I’ve got it!” Lucky shouted, calling Cody’s attention to the cell door just as it opened. He rushed towards it, ignoring the crystals in his mind, and nearly collapsed in shock when he saw the General.

“General?” Cart muttered, disbelief and worry lacing through his voice.

The Jedi was unconscious, that much was true, but the amount of blood that the monitor showed was _nothing_ compared to what was actually there. Trip pushed past the Commander without a word, and opened the medkit he had brought, getting to work.

Boil stood beside Cody in the doorway and his hand found its way to Cody’s, clutching it tightly. Cody squeezed back, trying to reassure his _vod_ with confidence he didn’t actually have. _Safe-now_ , the crystals murmured, making Cody wonder if kyber crystals were wrong sometimes.

The thought gained him a _no! safe-now!_ in response. He kept wondering, though a little quieter the second time.

“I think most of this blood… isn’t his,” Trip said, wiping at the cut on the General’s forehead. “Obviously _some_ of it’s his, because of all these cuts, but not all of it. We’ll need to get him to Cross and the med crew to know for sure, but this is most likely _vod_ blood.”

Boil pressed his forehead to Cody’s shoulder, releasing a shaky sigh. “So, he’s okay?” Cody asked.

“As okay as he can be. I don’t think we should risk moving him too much. Someone should go comm Cross and get him to bring a team over and then a transport,” Trip said. Lucky and Cart volunteered, all but running out of the corridor and back where they came from.

Trip returned to cleaning and placing bacta patches on the cuts. Cody pulled Boil out of the doorway and took off his own helmet. “He’s fine, _vod_ , he’ll be safe,” Cody assured him. “We’re not losing him now.”

“I’d rather never lose him,” Boil replied. Cody didn’t mention the shine of unshed tears in his brother’s eyes.

“ _Kaysh morut’yc, vod. Kaysh oyayc_ ,” Cody muttered, pressing his forehead against Boil’s.

“ _Kaysh oyayc_ ,” Boil echoed, repeating it to himself like a mantra. It echoed in Cody’s mind as well.

Their General was safe, and that was enough for both of them in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> jetii – Jedi  
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> osik – dung (impolite)  
> kaysh morut’yc, vod – He’s safe, brother  
> kaysh oyayc – He’s alive


	14. Shinies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody, boil, and the general speak to some new troops

Cody looked up as the door to the mess hissed open, revealing General Kenobi. The few troopers in the mess at the time saluted him lazily, a couple calling out ‘sir!’ in greeting.

“Hello there,” General Kenobi said, smiling. “How does everyone feel about taking a pitstop home?” Cody frowned in confusion, as did his other _vode_.

“What do you mean, sir?” Tracker asked, mouth still half-full of what barely passed as ‘food’ in the mess.

“We’re picking up some shinies on Kamino,” the General explained, “and I was wondering if some of you wanted to come down and join me.”

That made most of the troopers perk up, leaning forward in their seats. “Would we just be down there to brief the shinies, sir?” Cody asked.

“They’ve offered me a tour of the place, I’m sure I can convince them to let a few of you come along.”

“Well,” Boil said, pointing at Cody with his fork, “our Commander _definitely_ has to go.” The General nodded in agreement with a small smile on his face. “And I’m obligated to go because he can’t keep you out of trouble by himself.”

General Kenobi stroked his beard. “When did you come to that conclusion?” he asked.

“A couple weeks ago, sir,” Boil replied, grinning.

The General tilted his head in acceptance. “Well, sort it out among yourselves. I can’t take too many people without the Kaminoans wondering if I’m up to something, so try keep the group small. We’ll be there in two days. Enjoy your food, gentlemen.” He turned swiftly and left the mess hall and the explosion of muttering that came with the revelation.

“Who’re you taking?” Boil asked Cody. “No way are you leaving me behind.”

Cody snorted. “Thanks for making my decision for me,” was all he said, taking another bite of the too-dry rations on his plate in lieu of a better answer.

* * *

In the end, the team was 4 only people (not including the General himself): Cody, Boil, Cross, and Zero (who Cross insisted come because “learning how to keep a Jedi out of trouble is better in a controlled environment.”) Cody and Boil nominated themselves – well, Boil nominated them – as bodyguards throughout the tour, which the General protested for all of 30 seconds before realising they weren’t going to stand down.

“We’re not going to let you walk around with longnecks alone,” Cody reasoned. Boil added a ‘ _di’kut jetii_ ’ to the statement, which made General Kenobi smile. “Let us do this, for our sake if not yours.” Cody knew the statement would get the General to agree, and he wasn’t disappointed.

When they landed on the planet the General was greeted happily by the Kaminoans. The four clones were practically ignored, save for some displeased glances that told them that it was only the General keeping them there.

“Master Kenobi, it is good to see you. Welcome back,” a trainer Cody had never seen before said. Cody stopped listening as the Kaminoan continued talking, instead looking at the building they were in front of. Through the glass, Cody could see troopers in plain white armour walking around – some occasionally staring through the glass and whispering to themselves.

“Come on, boys,” General Kenobi got Cody’s attention once more. “We’re going to meet our new troops, then we can look around.” Cody nodded stiffly, eager to get inside and out of the possibility of getting rained on.

Inside the facility was the same as Cody remembered, yet he had to stop himself from looking around at his _vodike_. He caught some hushed whispers of ‘is that a _Jedi_?’ and grinned from behind his helmet. With a glance shared with Boil, he knew his brother was thinking the same thing.

“CT-8294,” the Kaminoan called, and Cody didn’t miss the General’s muscles tense at the serial number. A trooper walked over, posture stiff, and stood at attention. “Show CT–” the Kaminoan paused, glancing at the General. “Show _Cross_ and _Zero_ to the medical centre.”

CT-8294 hid his shock pretty well. “Yes, sir,” was all he said. He nodded to General Kenobi in greeting. “General.”

“Thank you, trooper,” General Kenobi replied. Cody could hear the smile in his voice, as he so often had when talking to the clones. CT-8294 hid his shock a bit worse at the thanks, but nodded anyway and gestured for Cross and Zero to follow him. “We’ll see each other soon, Cross. I’m not going to get into any trouble here,” the General said when Cross looked between the General and Zero.

“Don’t jinx it, sir,” Cross replied, jogging after Zero and ’94. The Kaminoan looked like she wanted to say something about the ‘disrespect’ of Cross’ talking back, but didn’t.

Cody was so glad he came.

The three of them were led to a training room, where a group of unmarked-armour-covered shinies stood at attention as they entered. Cody and Boil exchanged looks behind the General’s back. Boil signed _scare?_ to which Cody nodded. It wasn’t a briefing with shinies if they weren’t scared at least a little.

“These are the Horizon and Red Companies,” the Kaminoan introduced. She turned to address the shinies. “You will be serving under High General Kenobi,” she said (although to Cody it sounded like a threat). “We do not want any reports of disrespect from any of you. You all know the consequences.”

General Kenobi turned to her and nodded, smiling politely. “Thank you, Wae Tawn,” he said. “If you do not mind, may I speak with the troopers with my Commander and Lieutenant? I have some things I wish to say to them.”

The Kaminoan – Wae Tawn, apparently – nodded and left the room with an ‘of course, Master Jedi.’ Cody could almost _feel_ the sigh of relief from the shinies as the longneck left the room. The General waited until the door closed behind her to turn to the shinies. Behind his back, he signed _helmets off_ to Cody and Boil, who obliged.

“At ease, gentlemen,” the General said. “On behalf of the 212th, I would like to welcome you,” he began. “As you probably know, I am General Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is my Commander, Cody, and Lieutenant Boil.” He gestured to Cody and Boil respectively. “If you have any questions that you don’t want to ask me, go to them.”

Cody stepped forward, standing nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with his General. Regs stated that clones had to be at arm’s length from the Jedi when at attention, but Cody hadn’t really looked at regulations regarding those things for a while (General Kenobi certainly hadn’t). “If you have never seen a Jedi in action, I would advise you to watch some holos of the sparring between them,” he started with what his _vode_ liked to call his ‘Commander Voice.’ “It is not an excuse to get distracted in battle by _any_ General.”

“Cody–” The General was interrupted by Boil, making the Jedi sigh.

“The 212th follow a strict set of rules that under _no_ circumstances may be broken,” Boil said. “There is punishment for breaking these rules. Enforced by most senior troopers. You’ll learn of the rules soon enough, so there isn’t an excuse.”

The General sighed and rubbed his temple. “Honestly, you two are menaces. It’s a wonder I brought you here,” he said. “What they are _trying_ to say, is that the 212th is excited to have you onboard.”

“We aren’t trying to say that,” Boil said.

“Yes, you are,” the General retorted. “Stop scaring them. You’ll have plenty of time to do so later on.” The shinies didn’t seem to know what to do with themselves. General Kenobi turned to them. “I’d like to know all your names, eventually,” he said. “For now, does anyone have any questions? Don’t be afraid.”

It was silence until one shiny tentatively raised a hand. “Sir,” he started when prompted, “is it true the 212th work regularly with the 501st?”

“That’s true,” the General replied. “I’m guessing you have a batchmate in the 501st?” The shiny looked surprised, but nodded. “A few of the 212th have batchmates with the 501st, it’s not uncommon.”

“Unfortunately, you do have to learn to deal with another reckless _jetii_ because of the 501st,” Cody commented.

“First being our lovely General,” Boil said, patting General Kenobi on the shoulder. “Don’t look at me like that, there are _vode_ that are way touchier than this,” he added at the glances to his hand on the General. “Cody, for example.”

“ _Ne'johaa_ ,” Cody replied, looking at Boil pointedly. “I distinctly remember needing to pull you out of the pile for watch shift because you wouldn’t let go of Trip.” The look Boil gave him all but spelt out the phrase ‘ _what about it?’_

“Sirs?” a trooper in the front said. “Permission to speak freely.”

“What’s your name, trooper?” General Kenobi asked.

“CT-8203, sir.”

“Your name, trooper. Not your number,” Cody said.

The clone looked surprised, to say the least. “Thorn, sir.”

“Permission granted, Thorn,” the General said.

Thorn thought over his words. “Is this… some kind of trick, sir? To see if we cave under pressure from superior officers?”

General Kenobi shook his head and smiled. “No, Thorn, it isn’t a trick or a test. These two are just being _di’kute_ ,” he said. “You’re your own person, so you can act however you like – within reasonable bounds, of course. Don’t let anyone pressure you into something,” he explained. “That goes for all of you. Come to me or Commander Cody if anything happens.”

“Yes sir!” echoed through the training room. Cody grinned to himself. These new troops will be good for the 212th, numbers-wise and moral-wise; nothing raises moral of older clones quite like teaching shinies the unwritten rules the General doesn’t know about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> vod(e) – bother(s)  
> di’kut jetii – idiot Jedi  
> vodike – little brothers (plural of vod’ika)  
> jetii – Jedi  
> ne’johaa – shut up  
> di’kute – idiot (pl.)
> 
> i might write a sequel to this one, with a few of the older clones teaching some shinies about the 212th's rules. would y'all like that?


	15. Shinies Pt. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the senior officers talk with some shinies about the unwritten rules of the 212th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just a fun chapter, so it doesn't have much structure.
> 
> the senior staff are super protective of their general, longshot's there for a laugh

Cody, Boil, Longshot, and Cross (reluctantly pulled from the medbay into the briefing room) stood in front of a group of the new shinies they had collected from Kamino. “You’ve met Lieutenant Boil and I,” Cody started, gesturing to Boil as he spoke. “This is Cross, our Chief Medical Officer, and Longshot, who tagged along with us.”

“The reason this is happening without the General is because some of these rules pertain to him, and he doesn’t know about them,” Boil said. He was sitting backwards on a chair, arms crossed over the backrest.

Cody nodded in agreement. “Most rules in the regs are followed, still. Use common sense and you’ll figure out which ones are followed, and which ones are ignored.”

Longshot – who was sitting cross-legged on the table – spoke up, adding, “if any senior staff member is doing it, or if they’re allowing it, you can assume it’s fine.”

“Now, there are some unwritten rules around here,” Cody said. “The only time you’ll hear them spoken is when the General isn’t around. Rule number 1: don’t get distracted by the _jetiise_ in battle.”

“We know how they look while fighting. Watch the General train if you want to see it up close,” Cross said, pausing his typing on his datapad. “I don’t need nor _want_ more _vode_ in medical because you couldn’t keep your eyes off the General on the battlefield.”

“Which relates to number 2 and 3,” Longshot said, grinning. “Yes, the General is attractive. We _all_ know that because we have working eyes. Number 3, the General will flirt with you at least once. There will probably not be an explanation, but sometimes it’s because he’s too tired to think straight. Don’t take it to heart, he doesn’t know he’s doing it sometimes.”

A trooper raised his hand. “Yes, Sol?” Cody asked.

“Isn’t it unprofessional for him to flirt with his troops?” Sol questioned.

“Like Longshot said, usually he doesn’t realise he’s doing it,” Cody explained. “If I had a credit for every time I’ve witnessed him flirting with someone, I’d have enough money to retire already.”

“Also, the General knows Mando’a, so try not to compliment him or talk about _inappropriate_ things within his hearing range. He’ll pretend he doesn’t hear or understand, but he does,” Boil added. Cody noticed a few shinies exchange awkward looks and shook his head, sighing.

Cross looked up from his datapad. “Four and five: do _not_ hide from me if you’re injured. I will not hesitate to sedate you given half a chance and reason. I deal with General Kenobi skipping out on medical often enough, I don’t want to see any of you do it.”

The shinies looked only slightly less than _terrified_ at Cross’ look and tone of voice, and even Cody found himself taking a step away from the CMO, the phantom bite of a hypo against his neck reminding him of the threat.

“While General Kenobi likes to inform General Skywalker that his lightsaber is his life, our General loses his own far too often,” Longshot said.

“If you see it on the ground, pick it up and get it to me,” Cody added. “I’ve got a lightsaber clip on my belt, for reference of how often it isn’t in his hands.”

“And! Our dear Commander knows how to use said lightsaber. It’s fascinating.” Boil looked like he was having fun when Cody glared at him. “But yes, just find the General or Cody and return the ‘saber.”

Another trooper with roses painted on pauldrons raised a hand, but didn’t wait to ask, “don’t you need the Force to use lightsabers, though?” Cody was proud of the clearly rising confidence among the shinies, at least around four senior officers.

He shook his head in response to the question. “It’s just a fancy sword. If you know how to deal with a normal saber, you can wield a _jetii’kad_.”

“Why is he even a General, if he can’t keep a weapon?” a shiny in the back sneered. It gained him the glare of the four officers at the front, as well as some shinies that had already talked to the General at some point on the ship.

“Rule 7,” Boil hissed, “do not insult _cuun jetii_. It has dire consequences, and you _will_ answer to every senior officer available at the time.”

“General Kenobi is one of the best Generals in the GAR,” Longshot added, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. “He’s _ours_ , and if you have a problem with him I would advise requesting a transfer.”

As much as Cody would’ve loved to defend their General until the day was over, he had to stop the conversation before someone ended up escorted to the medbay with Cross with a broken nose. “Number 8–” Boil sent a half-hearted glare at Cody’s interruption, but stayed quiet, “– report to Cross if the General is avoiding medbay, or if he hasn’t eaten or slept in longer than a day.”

“Tell him I’ll sedate him,” Cross added. “Feel free to threaten him with me or the lock on his quarters. Both work and I end up seeing him in a few hours either way.” An awkward chuckle went around the room.

“If you’re in barracks two, please ignore the smell coming from the vents below the second row of bunks,” Longshot said, back to his casual position on the table. “It’s moonshine, and we’re all politely pretending it isn’t there. If you ask Oak nicely, he might let you borrow some for a celebration. Not that he’s who makes it, of course.”

That got a few less-awkward laughs, as well as a few looks that meant they were going to be dealing with hungover shinies after their next battle. Cody silently wished Cross luck.

“Finally, do not get drunk around the General if you know what’s good for you,” Boil said, no longer glaring at the shiny from before. “He’ll remember everything you tell him, no matter what it is. You can admit to having a crush on him, or you can break down in front of him, and he _will_ remember.”

“It’s never a good situation,” Longshot added.

Cody let his facial expression set into one more serious. “Do not mention to the General about how we are just clones, either,” he said. “Or that we were made to live and die for the Republic, no matter what.” The room grew silent and sombre. “Best case scenario, he’ll give you a 10-minute lecture about how we’re all different from one another. Worst case, you’ll make him sad and feel guilty about it for a week.”

“Trust us, we’ve all been there,” Cross spoke up. “If you’re curious, ask about the gold stain on the walls of barracks 1. But be prepared to want to wrap the General up and make sure he’s never sad again.”

It was silent as the senior officers let everything sink in, watching the shinies’ expressions carefully. “The most important thing to remember aboard this ship,” Cody said, “is that you’re all important to both your _vode_ and our General. We protect each other, and General Kenobi protects us, as we do him. If you remember nothing else, remember that.”

“Yes, sir!” was the reply, which made Cody smile.

“You can go, now. Welcome to the 212th, everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> jetiise – Jedi (pl.)  
> vod(e) – brother(s)  
> jetii’kad – lightsaber [lit. Jedi sword]  
> cuun jetii – our Jedi


	16. Drugged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody and cross deal with a half-drugged general

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not as bad as it may seem. mentions of drugging & possibly implied dub-con.
> 
> sorry this is a bit late, i've been teaching myself mando'a

“Honestly, how does he manage to get himself into these situations?” Cross huffed, crossing his arms as he and Cody stared at their General. Cody’s crystal thrummed silently against his chest, matching pace with his beating heart.

“I think it might be a gift of the _jetiise_ , Cross,” Cody replied, stepping into the bedroom where General Kenobi was sprawled across the bed, lacking the usual grace he so often had. “Sir?” Cody asked, nudging the General’s shoulder.

The General made a cross between a hum and groan as he cracked opened his eyes, squinting at Cody. “C’dy?” he slurred.

“Sir, you have a meeting with the Queen in 20 standard minutes. I would advise getting up,” Cody said, standing beside the bed.

The General hummed once more. “Where ‘m I?” he asked, which set off alarm bells in Cody’s head. The crystal’s rhythm sped up in time with Cody’s heart.

Cross seemed to feel the same suspicion, as he walked into the room and bent over the General. “General, I need you to open your eyes for me. Just for a couple of seconds, okay?” 

General Kenobi opened his eyes just wide enough for Cody to see the blown pupils, even from where he was standing. Cross sighed and stood back up, looking to Cody. “He’s been given some kind of drug. I won’t be able to tell which type without a test, but I have a feeling the list of people trying to keep our _alor_ is about to be one person longer.”

“General, did someone give you something last night?” Cody asked.

Cross helped the General sit up on the bed properly, pushing him back to rest against the headboard. “I... I was with the Queen and Prince all night,” the General replied. “But... the Force should’ve told me something was wrong if I was drugged.”

Cross patted the General’s knee through the blankets. “I’ll run a blood test, see what they gave you. Cody’ll get you back to the camp.”

General Kenobi nodded and sat still as Cross took a blood sample. The medic nodded at Cody in lieu of goodbye and set off out the room and down the hallway, comm raised and talking to someone.

“Come on, General. Someone will let the Queen know that you won’t be attending the meeting,” Cody said. He held out a hand for the General to take (pointedly ignoring the waves of happiness that his crystal so often gave him when close to the General) and guided him out of the bed, catching him around the waist when he stumbled. “Are you sure you didn’t get given anything? Did anyone say something suspicious to you?”

“The Prince seemed to like me but…” Cody really didn’t need any more explanation, but he let the General continue, gently guiding him down the halls. “He offered me a place in the palace as a… a… personal servant?”

Cody’s arm tightened around the General’s waist, pulling the Jedi in closer. “I’ll send some men to question the Prince, sir,” he said, speeding up his steps to get his General out of the castle faster. Cody’s crystal hummed determined waves of _leave-now_ and _camp-safe_ , which Cody wholeheartedly agreed with.

General Kenobi tried, without much luck, to slow down Cody’s steps by digging his heels into the carpet. “C’dy, what’s wrong?” he asked. “ _Cyar’ika, me’bana? Ni n’vaabir suvarir._ ” Whenever the General spoke in Mando’a, Cody usually appreciated the shiver down his spine the Coruscanti accent gave. But he was too occupied with half-dragging the General to think about it at the time.

Just steps from the exit, the person that Cody was not a fan of at the time stopped them. “May I ask why you’re leaving?” the Prince asked, looking concerningly at the General. “My mother is waiting for you.”

“My– General Kenobi is not feeling well, and our medical officer has requested to see him,” Cody said flatly. “We believe that he may have eaten something last night that did not agree with his stomach.”

The Prince looked disappointed. “Will he be returning later on?”

“Depends on what our medical officer says. If you’ll excuse us.” Cody didn’t push past the Prince – he didn’t want to cause suspicion – but he did lead the General around the Prince ( _Jedi-stealer_ , Cody’s crystal muttered) with a determination that didn’t leave room to argue.

Thankfully the camp was close to the castle, so Cody didn’t have to go far. General Kenobi seemed to be a bit more sound-minded as he was led into the medical tent, but he definitely didn’t have the entire drug out of his system.

“Cross, tell Cody he’s being ridiculous,” the General said as their senior medic walked over, datapad in hand. “I’m fine.”

Cross sighed. “General, you were drugged. I found some kind of Force suppressants in your system, as well as a chemical often used on victims of kidnapping, albeit in smaller portions than normal,” he explained, both to Cody and the Jedi. “It likely would’ve made you more…” Cross looked to Cody as he paused, “pliable, sir. Easier to nudge in whatever the person who drugged you considered the ‘right’ direction.”

“Oh,” was all the General contributed to the conversation.

Cody, on the other hand, was nothing less than pissed the _fuck_ off. “I’m going to send some men to ask the Prince a few questions,” Cody told Cross.

“Don’t send Boil, whatever you do,” Cross warned. “Otherwise we’ll be kicked off this planet before we have any answers.” Cody nodded as he walked out of the medical tent, searching for Lucky and Uno – surprisingly good interrogators, Cody found, despite their tendencies to joke around with anyone and anything.

The troopers took the news about their General being drugged about as well as Cody did, and left the camp with some very strongly-worded questions in mind, most likely.

Returning to the med tent, Cody was greeted by Cross pushing the General back onto the bed. “General, if you don’t _stay_ I’m going to tie you to this bed and not let you up until we’re back on the ship,” the CMO threatened.

“Hmm, promise?” the General replied, words slurring. Cody stepped in, saving Cross from having to reply.

“General, we’re returning to _The Negotiator_ as soon as we can,” Cody said, sitting in the chair by the General’s bedside. “I sent Lucky and Uno to talk with the Prince. We just need to wait for the drug to get out of your system.”

“But he–”

“He tried to take you from us, sir,” Cody interrupted. “He tried to make you _his_ , and tried to away your choice to say no. _That’s_ what the drug does, it makes you do what he wanted you to do.”

The General looked shocked. Cross continued on from Cody: “As soon as I’m positive the drug is out of your system, we can leave. I don’t want you near the Prince, and I certainly don’t want Boil near the Prince when he finds out what happened.”

“I- I’m sorry,” the General muttered. Cody grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “I didn’t… think you would worry this much.”

“It’s our job to worry about you, sir,” Cross said. “Cody, I’m trusting you to make sure he stays there until I come back?”

Cody nodded and turned to the General, who stared at Cody’s face as if looking for something. A happy hum flooded Cody’s chest, accompanied by a repetition of _safesafesafe_ in his mind, replacing the anger from before.

“ _Ni ceta, ner al’verde,_ ” General Kenobi muttered. “ _Ner cabur._ ”

Cody ignored the shiver down his spine. He, instead, linked his fingers with the General’s and pressed their hands to his forehead. “ _Nuhoyir, alor. Ni hukaat'kama_ ,” he replied. He kept watch until the General’s eyes slowly shut, his hand going limp in Cody’s own.

They were never coming back to this planet if Cody could help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> jetiise – Jedi (pl.)  
> alor – leader [no word for General in Mando’a]  
> Cyar’ika, me’bana? – Sweetheart/darling, what’s happening?  
> Ni n’vaabir suvarir – I don’t understand [n’ = negative prefix, vaabir = do]  
> Ni ceta, ner al’verde. Ner cabur. – Sorry (lit. ‘I kneel’), my Commander. My guardian.  
> Nuhoyir, alor. Ni hukaat'kamar. – Sleep, General. I’m watching your back.


	17. Crystal Pt. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody loses his crystal, obi-wan returns it, they both learn some things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was requested by Kase! hope you enjoy!

Cody didn’t have time to check he had everything as he threw on his armour based on pure muscle memory. The sound of blaster fire made his ears ring as it mixed with the cacophony of the camp (muffled slightly by the pulling-on of his helmet), and he listened to nothing but his own training instincts as he went through the motions of point-aim-shoot-repeat at the ambush.

The General’s lightsaber’s hums sounded out over the blaster fire, each swing taking out a droid or two. Cody cursed silently as a stray bolt hit his forearm, but continued shooting while pushing the pain to the back of his mind. He could deal with that later on, he told himself.

“Cody! Watch out!” someone yelled. Cody didn’t have time to wonder who shouted or why they were shouting at him before a _thunk_ echoed through his helmet and the battle noises faded away, replaced with a ringing sound in his ears. His HUD flickered uselessly, so Cody could barely pick up the end of the robes the General wore in his line of vision, flowing in the slight breeze. His HUD finally flickered out just as Cody lost consciousness.

* * *

Cody came to with the smell _The Negotiator’s_ medbay filling his nose and the familiar angry muttering of Cross in the background. “ _Di’kut al’verde. Tion’ad duumyc gar nukyr’am? Di’kutla._ ”

Cody groaned as he tried to sit up. Zero put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down on the bed. “I wouldn’t do that, Commander. Cross isn’t happy.” He sounded apologetic, and Cody placed a hand on the trooper’s wrist.

“ _Ni jahaala,_ Cross!” Cody called out.

Cross walked over and punched Cody’s shoulder. “Don’t lie to your doctor, Commander. You got what amounted to a missile to the head, it’s practically a miracle you’re alive,” he said. Cody watched silently as he dismissed Zero and went about checking the bacta patch on Cody’s forearm, where he was shot. “You’re lucky the General was there.”

“Careful, Cross, I might think you care,” Cody joked, silently wondering where the General was.

“Force forbid I, your doctor, care about you, Cody,” Cross sighed, exasperated. “General Kenobi is probably pacing a hole in the ground outside; you should probably speak with him before I need to pull him out of a trench.”

Cody raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean I can leave?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Cross replied. “I’ll get him. Stay put.”

Cody followed Cross’ movements as he walked to the door and wordlessly opened it, nodding inside to Cody’s bed. Cody smiled at the General as he walked to Cody’s bedside.

“Cody,” General Kenobi said, placing a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”

“I’m alright, General. What happened with the ambush?”

“We got all the droids. Some officers are still packing up camp planet-side,” the General explained. He looked down at Cody’s chest and frowned. “Where’s your kyber crystal?”

Cody put a hand to his chest and realised there weren’t the comforting vibrations against his chest the crystal gave him. He looked to Cross, hoping the medical officer had taken it off when they stripped his armour, but he just shrugged. “It wasn’t on you when you were transported here, Cody,” he said.

“ _Osik_ ,” Cody muttered. “Cross, I need to go find it.”

Cross at least looked apologetic. “Sorry, Commander. You’re not leaving that bed for at least two days.”

“I’ll go look for it, Cody,” General Kenobi spoke up. “I know how your crystal feels, I can be back before we leave.”

“You don’t need to do that, sir,” Cody tried to protest before being interrupted.

“It’s okay. It’s your crystal, Cody. They don’t take happily to being left behind, trust me.” Cody wondered if there was a story behind that, but didn’t ask.

“ _Vor entye_ , sir,” Cody muttered, grabbing the General’s forearm from where it rested beside his own.

The General gave a soft smile in reply. “ _Ba’gedet’ye_.”

Cross stayed silent as the General left the medbay. As soon as the door hissed closed, he gave Cody a knowing look. “‘I know how your crystal feels’?” he asked. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Definitely not what you’re thinking,” Cody said, glaring at the CMO.

“I wasn’t thinking anything,” Cross replied, his grin contradicting the statement.

* * *

Cody sat cross-legged on the medical bed, his eyes shut as Cross checked out his injuries. It had been two days since the General said he would find Cody’s crystal and Cody was (very slightly) worrying.

He hissed as Cross peeled the bandages from his head. “I can feel your worry even without the Force, Cody,” Cross said. “Calm down.”

“It’s been two days, Cross, and our _jetii_ is a magnet for trouble,” Cody said. “He could be _kidnapped_ or something, and we’d have no idea.”

“I do believe that it isn’t my fault if trouble finds me, dear.” Cody nearly jumped at the General’s voice, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway of the medbay. “And surely my kidnappers would have demanded some sort of ransom.”

Cross let Cody out of the bed with a roll of his eyes and an annoyed yet affectionate, “you’re free to go.”

Cody walked over to the General, nodding in greeting. “It’s good to see you again, General,” he said. He didn’t say _‘I missed you’_ , because it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t miss General Kenobi.

“And you, my Commander,” the General replied. “I believe I have something of yours. It’s in my quarters.

Cody nodded and followed the General through the halls towards the Jedi’s quarters. The path was muscle memory to Cody at that point, with the number of times he had gone to his General’s quarters for one reason or another.

On the General’s desk sat a small package, wrapped in fabric. A nudge in the back of his mind pushed him to pick it up, similar to when Cody first got the crystal. “You found it,” he said, cradling the package in his hands. “ _Vor entye, alor._ ”

“It’s important to you, Cody,” the General said, fondness creeping into his voice. Cody gently unwrapped the package and involuntarily smiled as a happy wave of _welcome-back_ flooded his mind. The cord was snapped, Cody noted to himself, but he could find another rope around somewhere.

The General interrupted Cody’s reunion after a bit, smiling at the Commander. “I did some research on kyber crystals.” That got Cody’s attention. The General sat cross-legged on the floor, placing his lightsaber in front of him. Cody mirrored the position but kept his crystal in his hands. “I’m sure you already know, but kyber crystals are a conductor for the Force,” the General started.

Cody nodded. He had gotten curious one time on Coruscant and had lost himself in the books in the archive.

“Well, some crystals are…” the General paused. “They’re more attuned to one another than normal. Like how some musical notes sound beautiful with certain other ones.” He looked between his lightsaber and Cody’s crystal. “It seems, however small the possibility is, that you were picked by a crystal that resonated with my own.”

“Could have been the Force, sir,” Cody replied, only slightly joking.

“Maybe it was, my dear,” General Kenobi replied. Cody watched silently as his General’s face smoothed over in concentration, once again pulling apart his lightsaber and revealing the crystal within. As the parts were placed carefully on the ground, the General held his kyber crystal out to Cody.

Cody took a breath and held out his own, closing his eyes at the intense wave of happiness that overwhelmed his mind. As it faded (but definitely _didn’t_ disappear), Cody blinked open his eyes and watched the General’s serene face. At that moment, Cody wished he were Force-sensitive so that he could possibly experience whatever it is his General was experiencing.

After a few long, silent seconds, General Kenobi opened his eyes. “That was certainly something,” he said, not moving his hand away from Cody’s. “It was more than I was expecting to happen.”

Cody huffed out a laugh. “I don’t even know what I was expecting, sir,” he confessed. “I’m not sure what that experience _was_.”

“Resonance, my dear Commander,” the General replied. “The reports I read couldn’t even compare to what it actually felt like.” Cody felt a little like he was missing out on something important as the General spoke. Like he was missing something beautiful. General Kenobi seemed to pick up on his thoughts and frowned slightly. “I do wish I could share it with you, Cody. Words… can’t really express it.”

“It’s okay, General,” Cody said, placing his free hand on the Jedi’s knee. The General smiled and covered Cody’s hand with his own. “Thank you for getting it back for me, sir. It means a lot.”

“ _Mayen par gar, cyare_.”

A flash of… _something_ went through Cody’s mind and, judging by the look on the Jedi’s face, General Kenobi felt it as well.

“We should get back to our duties, sir,” Cody said awkwardly, attempting to ignore the feeling. He half-agreed with himself, wanting to stay in the General’s quarters for a while longer.

General Kenobi hummed in reply, fingers curling around his crystal and pulling it away. A sad wave of _come-back_ rippled through his mind, but he pushed it away as he pulled his own crystal towards his body.

“I will be on the bridge soon, Cody,” the General said, looking down at his lightsaber parts. “I need to put this back together, before an inevitable surprise attack happens.” Cody laughed and shook his head.

“Don’t jinx it, sir.”

The General smiled innocently at him in response. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Commander.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Di’kut al’verde – Idiot Commander.  
> Tion’ad duumyc gar nukyr’am? Di’kutla. – Who approved your life? Useless. [‘life’ here is not-death, since I couldn’t find a word for life]  
> Ni jahalla – I’m healthy  
> Osik – dung (impolite)  
> Vor entye – Thank you (lit. ‘I accept a debt’)  
> Ba’gedet’ye – You’re welcome  
> jetii – Jedi  
> alor – Leader  
> Mayen par gar, cyare – Anything for you, darling.


	18. Migraine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the general has a migraine, cody, boil and cross help him out. cody discovers some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's a bit longer than usual, and just Full of fluff (and a little h/c). i also had some fun making up words in Mando'a
> 
> this was prompted by airline, jastn_311081, and ImploringIdeal! hope y'all enjoy <3

Cody was sitting in a circle with some of his vode, playing a game of sabacc with some strange bets, when a sense of _the-General!_ ran through his head with urgency. He frowned and excused himself from the game, placating the complaints with the promise that he’d follow through on his ‘bet’.

Cody hurried through the halls to General Kenobi’s quarters. Once there, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. Cody almost missed the pained whimper that answered him, which made him punch in the medical override code (which every clone knew by heart) and rush into the room with a hand on his blaster.

Instead of his expected problem, Cody was met with a dark room and the rustling of blankets on the bed. Cody took a step forward, frowning. “General?” he asked.

In the light the open door provided, Cody could make out the curled-up form of his General, fingers digging into his temples and eyes squeezed shut.

“General? Are you okay?” The question elicited another whine from the Jedi.

 _Oh_ , Cody realised, quickly closing the door and flooding the room in darkness. He stood still for a while, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light, before walking to the General’s bedside. “General?” he asked once again, keeping his voice quiet.

“Cody?” was the hoarse response.

“Can I touch you, sir?”

A few seconds of silence preceded the affirmative hum from the Jedi. Cody gently placed a hand on the General’s knee, slowly running his thumb back and forth. “I’m going to get Cross, sir. He can help.”

“M’fine.” Cody had never heard more of a lie. “Don’t need Cross.”

Cody decided to listen to the repeated _get-Cross, needs-help_ from the kyber crystal rather than his General. “I’ll be back soon, okay, sir? Do you want anything else?” The General shook his head, hands still pressed against it like they could block out the migraine.

Cody left the room as quickly as he could to minimise the amount of light entering the room. He commed Cross as fast as the machine would allow. “Commander?” Cross answered. “You never call medbay, what’s happened?”

“The General has a migraine and it seems bad. He’s in his quarters,” Cody replied. He looked up and saw Boil walking towards him.

Cross swore. “I’ll be there soon. Keep him in the dark, no loud noises.” The comm was disconnected before Cody had the chance to respond to the medic.

“What’s going on?” Boil asked, looking between Cody and the closed door. “What’s wrong with the General?”

“Migraine,” Cody replied. “You got anything to do right now?” At the shake of Boil’s head, Cody added, “keep guard here, don’t let anybody in except for Cross.”

Boil nodded. “Yessir,” he replied.

Cody turned and re-entered the General’s quarters, returning to the Jedi’s bed. He kneeled beside the bed, placing himself between the General and the door so no light would hit his eyes when Cross entered. “Cross is on his way, sir,” he informed. “It’ll be okay.”

General Kenobi reached out a hand to Cody, who held it in his own. “ _Vor’e_ ,” the General whispered. Cody shushed him quietly, caressing the back of the Jedi’s hand with his thumb.

They sat in silence, General Kenobi’s tense frame slowly uncurling as Cody continued his caresses. After some time – Cody had lost track – the door opened and closed, quiet footsteps advancing and stopping beside Cody.

“ _Tion kaysh jahaal?_ ” Cross muttered, kneeling beside Cody, closer to General Kenobi’s head.

“ _Su kadala_ ,” Cody replied. The General hummed quietly, fingers interlacing with one of Cody’s hands.

Cross placed a hand on the General’s forehead, and Cody pretended he didn’t notice the way the Jedi leant into it. “It’s not a fever, so most likely a stress migraine,” Cross reported. Cody also pretended he didn’t hear the noise of disappointment as Cross took his hand away.

“I can’t do anything for stress. I’m sorry, sir,” Cross apologised, sounding disappointed. “I can only tell you to stay in here and rest until it goes away.”

The General pulled his hand from Cody’s grip and grabbed at Cross’ bicep. “’s alright, Cross,” he said, words slurring together (because of what, Cody didn’t know). “’m fine.”

“ _Cuyir jahaala iviin’yc, ner alor._ ” Cross’ voice sounded softer than Cody had ever heard it as he spoke, hand coming up to rest on the General’s own.

Cody swallowed and stood up. “I’m going to get Boil, lest he has a heart attack worrying,” he said, voice strained slightly. Cross gave him a look Cody couldn’t quite make out in the dark. Cody opened the door and grabbed Boil’s wrist, tugging him inside the room.

“Stay quiet, _vod_ ,” he whispered. “No loud noises.” Cody let Boil take his previous spot, taking the desk chair for himself and watching silently as the Lieutenant whispered softly to their General.

“Cody?” General Kenobi whispered. “ _Olaror olar, gedet’ye._ ”

Cody stood and stepped towards the bed, standing between Boil and Cross. When a hand closed around his wrist and tugged him (pretty firmly) onto the bed, he had barely any time to brace himself against the wall behind the General, blinking in surprise.

Boil snorted in laughter beside his leg, but Cody was more focused on the breaths of the General ghosting over his face. “Sir?” he whispered, slightly awkwardly pushing himself off the wall so that he knelt on the edge of the bunk.

“Lie down, _Kote_ ,” was the answer. Cody sat down on the bunk and adjusted himself so that he was leaning against the wall at the head of the bunk, muscles tensed.

“That’s not lying down, Cody,” Boil said, poking Cody’s thigh. The General didn’t seem to mind the fact that Cody didn’t fully listen and curled up at his side, head resting on Cody’s shoulder. Considering he was in full armour, Cody was pretty sure it wasn’t the least bit comfortable for the Jedi.

He gently unclipped the pauldron General Kenobi was leaning on and, as he took it off, lifted the General’s head away gently. A low whine – which Cody might not have heard if he wasn’t as close as he was – came from the General as he was moved.

The crystal (which had been previously pulsing with a mixture of _happy_ and _worry_ ) sent Cody a wave of _safe-with-you_ and _love-you-all_ ; they might not have come from the _crystal_ , per se, but Cody happily shoved that mystery to the back of his mind.

Once Cody’s arm was free of his armour, the General returned to his place. His leg jerked slightly as Boil’s hands found their way to the clamps holding the armour on Cody’s legs. “Can’t be a pillow when covered in plastoid, Commander,” Boil joked.

General Kenobi attempted to undo the clamps on his chestplate, but Cody gently pulled them away. “ _Ne baatir, cyar’ika,_ ” he said.

Cody could feel himself getting tired as Boil and Cross expertly took away the pieces of armour they could reach without moving the General or the Commander. As they worked, Cody – hesitating a bit beforehand – brought a hand up to the General’s head and ran his fingers through the Jedi’s hair.

His breath caught at the happy hum, accompanied by a nudge to _keep-going_ from his crystal. He barely realised that he was down to his blacks (minus the chestplate) as he stared at the General, who didn’t give any indication he heard or was the source of the nudge.

“ _Kote_ ,” Cross muttered, and Cody wondered when they accepted that as a nickname, “you’ll need to move to take off the chestplate.” Cody looked to Cross and back to the General. “Just sit up a little, we’ll do our best.”

Cody nodded and leaned forward, off the wall, so that Cross had access to his back. He placated the General’s small noise by running his fingers through the copper-red hair.

“Sorry, General,” Boil muttered, at some point having positioned himself so that he was straddling Cody’s left thigh as he took off the chestplate.

The General huffed in what Cody believed was annoyance. “D’nt call me that here,” he complained. “Just Obi-Wan.” The three clones exchanged a glance. Cody could count the number of times he called the General his first name on one hand, and he was pretty sure Cross and Boil had _never_ done it.

“Okay, Obi-Wan,” Cody said hesitantly, hoping that the other two would follow his lead.

The Gen– _Obi-Wan_ hummed happily.

Cross pressed Cody’s shoulder back into the wall as soon as his armour was removed. “Lie down, Commander. You can’t fall asleep sitting up,” he admonished.

“I don’t think rank matters right now, Cross,” Boil added, still half on Cody’s lap. “We’re allowed to call _cunn jetii_ his name.”

“ _An’gar liser nuhoyir olar_ ,” Obi-Wan muttered, sounding tired.

“I need to get back to medical,” Cross said. “I didn’t exactly leave them with intent to stay here.”

“ _Gedet’ye? Ner baar’ur?”_

Cross sighed. “Okay, I’ll stay. But we can’t all fit in the bed, Obi-Wan,” Cross reminded him. Cody nodded; even with Boil on Cody’s lap, the bed was crowded.

Cross hummed in thought. “There’s always the floor,” he suggested. “There’s enough space there, and it’s not like we haven’t slept on the floor before.” Boil rolling off Cody’s thigh seemed to seal the deal.

“We’ll steal some blankets,” Boil said. Cody shielded Obi-Wan’s eyes as they left, having to look away from the too-bright light himself.

“Come, _cyar’ika_ , we’re moving to the floor,” Cody told the Jedi, who didn’t seem like he was moving any time soon. Obi-Wan’s hair brushed against Cody’s jaw as his moved his head to look up at the Commander. “The floor, _cyar’jetii_ , so we can all sleep in here,” Cody explained, not sure how out of it the General was.

Obi-Wan nodded, prompting Cody to slowly get off the bed. Obi-Wan quickly followed, dragging the blanket and pillow from the bunk and curling up on the floor. Cody stepped over the Jedi and took the spot beside him, lying on his back and staring up at the roof.

“How’s your head?” Cody asked, remembering _why_ he was in there in the first place.

“Better,” Obi-Wan replied. He moved so that his head rested on Cody’s stomach, facing the Commander. “You all make it better.”

A quiet knock echoed in the room and Cody felt a phantom stab of pain in his head. The door hissed open, flooding the room with light. “Started without us?” Boil joked as he and Cross stepped inside. Boil had removed his armour while he was gone, leaving him in just his blacks.

As the door closed, a small flashlight was turned on and pointed to the ceiling, illuminating the room enough so that Cody could see the small smile on Obi-Wan’s face.

After some shuffling and rearranging, the four of them found a comfortable arrangement on the floor. Cody seemed to be the centre of the pile, with Boil taking up his right side and Obi-Wan resting his head on Cody’s stomach. Cross took place behind the General, his head on Cody’s thigh. Blankets were thrown over all of them, and two pillows had been put behind Cody’s head, lifting it off the ground.

“Why am I the pillow?” Cody asked.

“You’re comfortable,” Boil replied, hooking his leg over Cody’s.

Silence blanketed the room after that, only broken by the soft sounds of breathing and moving blankets. Cody closed his eyes and listened, the comforting warmth of his _vode_ and _jetii_ letting him relax.

A wave of _sleep-now-al’verde_ washed over him as Obi-Wan grabbed his hand and linked their fingers together. It definitely _wasn’t_ the kyber crystal, and Cody opened his eyes to look at the Jedi. The flashlight was still on, so Cody could see the soft look the General gave him.

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan whispered. “ _Ner kar’taylir gar, Kote. Ner verde, ner cyare.”_

Obi-Wan closed his eyes once again, seemingly falling asleep in mere seconds. Cody wondered if the Jedi could feel his heart from where he lay since it was beating a lot faster than normal.

When the kyber crystal (this time it _was_ the crystal) told him to _sleep-now_ , _safe-here_ , Cody relented, his eyes slipping closed, and surrendered himself to the safety of the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Vor’e – Thanks  
> Tion kaysh jahaal? – How’s his health? [How is he?]  
> Su kadala – Still hurt  
> Cuyir jahaala iviin’yc, ner alor – Get better fast, my leader [no word for General in Mando’a]  
> Vod(e) – brother(s)  
> Olaror olar, gedet’ye – Come here, please  
> Kote – glory [similar to ‘Cody’, pronounced koh-tay]  
> Ne baatir, cyar’ika – Don’t worry, darling/sweetheart.  
> Cuun jetii – Our Jedi  
> An’gar liser uhoyir olar – All of you can sleep here  
> Gedet’ye? Ner baar’ur? – Please? My doctor?  
> Cyar’jetii – Beloved Jedi  
> Al’verde – Commander  
> Ner kar’taylir gar, Kote – I hold you in my heart, Cody [taken from ‘kar’taylir darasuum’ (love)]  
> Ner verde, ner cyare – My soldiers, my beloved
> 
> note: let's pretend obi-wan's room can, in fact, fit four fully-grown adults on the floor


	19. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody is trapped in a cave and isn't sure when (or if) he's going to get rescued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was prompted by Kase! hope you enjoy <3

It was really just Cody’s luck that he happened to go down the one tunnel that both collapsed behind him when he reached a dead-end _and_ cut off his comm. The dust had long settled in the closed-off space, and Cody had resigned himself to attempting to move the rocks blocking his path, interspersed with attempts at contacting General Kenobi or the 212th.

He had lost count of how long he had been trapped (hours?) and he was starting to feel the effects of his exertion. Some of the smaller rocks were easy enough, but it was the large boulders that refused to move. His armour had been shed once he realised that he wasn’t leaving the cavern anytime soon.

The crystal that hung around his neck had begun a near-constant pulse of what was probably worry and a signal of _trapped-here_. Cody wasn’t sure if it was trying to reassure him but, if it was, it wasn’t doing a very good job.

“ _Osik_ ,” Cody muttered, sitting on one of the larger rocks he managed to pull free. He brought his comm up and tried the General’s frequency once more. “General Kenobi? Can you read me?” He waited for a beat. “General, this is Commander Cody, do you read?” After receiving no answer aside from static, he tried the same on the 212th’s general frequency. He received the same response.

“Force,” he swore, wiping sweat from his brow. “If this is how I’m supposed to die, I’m going to be annoyed.”

His crystal gave him a wave of _rescue-soon_. Cody prayed to every higher power there was that it was true. He was getting sick and tired of dust, rocks, and talking to himself.

* * *

Cody was pretty sure that either the crystal’s definition of ‘soon’ was a _lot_ different to his own, or that it lied. It had definitely been longer than one rotation, probably two at that point, and Cody was feeling the effects of his predicament. He tried not to focus too much on his complaining stomach and shaking hands, and focused on trying to contact _anyone_. Even some Separatists would’ve been a sight for sore eyes.

More than once he asked his crystal if help was actually coming and, each time, he received the answer of _rescue-soon_. As soon as Cody was out of that tunnel, he vowed to himself, he would ask General Kenobi what the hell the Force meant by ‘soon’.

Taking a shaky breath, Cody leaned his head back against the rock he had found was the most comfortable. He had been in worse situations, he reminded himself. Although those worse situations usually included a _vod_ , so that he wouldn’t be talking to himself for hours.

Absently, he wondered if he was even being looked for. It would be hard for the 212th to _not_ realise he was missing, but did they think he was dead? Or were they looking for him?

* * *

_Cody!_

Cody jerked awake, looking around for the sound of his name. “Hello?” he called out hesitantly, his voice echoing.

The only reply he got was silence, and he sighed in frustration. _Wonderful_ , he thought to himself, _I’m hearing things now_. He picked up the blaster that he had put away with his armour and started the process of disassembling it, if only to give himself something to do.

Unfortunately it wasn’t all that good a distraction. He had gone through the motions enough times that it was muscle memory, leaving him to his own thoughts still.

He ignored a wave of reassurance from the kyber crystal, doubtful of its insistence of _rescue-coming!_

* * *

He started to wonder if clones were engineered to be able to last longer without food and water, or if his body had just given up its demands.

* * *

Cody knew he was dreaming because he wasn’t in the cave. Instead, he was in an empty room. Its walls and floor were white – but not blindingly so – aside from the tendrils of black and grey that seemed to creep out from the corners.

“Cody?”

Cody spun around, coming face to face with General Kenobi. “General? W-where are we? Am I dreaming?”

The General nodded. “I hope you are, otherwise, I’ve just forced you to collapse wherever you were,” he said.

Cody huffed. “Couldn’t have been any worse than what I’ve been doing, anyway.”

“We’re looking for you, Cody.” The General reached out a hand to Cody’s forearm, but didn’t touch him. “I promise you; we’re looking for you. We haven’t forgotten you.” Cody swallowed down a retort of disbelief, instead answering with silence.

The white room started to fade away, and the General looked panicked. “Hang on, _cyare_. I’m coming for you.”

* * *

Cody wanted to believe that the dream was real, that _somehow_ the General had managed to worm his way into his dreams (on purpose, this time) and tell him that he hadn’t been forgotten. A small part of Cody’s mind reminded him that he was suffering from thirst and slight starvation, and that he couldn’t exactly believe anything his mind supplied him, waking or otherwise.

Despite having been engineered for resilience in the face of whatever the war threw at him, Cody felt the strange urge to cry over what he hadn’t even lost yet (or what he might’ve already lost).

His _alor_ would come for him, Cody insisted to himself. He belongs to General Kenobi, and the Jedi protect their own.

* * *

Cody woke up to a strange sensation in the back of his mind. It felt similar to when his crystal ‘talked’ to him, but it was… different, somehow.

_Find-you! Call-out!_

He frowned in confusion; his mind still foggy with sleep. He tried to reach out to the source, but it just gave him a headache. He shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to clear it away.

 _Cody!_ Cyare _!_

Cody’s head shot up at the name. _General?_ he thought. _But why would… why would he be here?_

 _Force,_ Kote _, please respond._

Okay, the crystal didn’t send messages in full sentences. Cody pushed himself off the ground and stumbled over to the wall of rocks blocking his path. “General?” he shouted, hoping he hadn’t just gone insane.

“Cody!” The muffled reply almost made Cody cry in relief.

“General!” Cody shouted again.

“Hang on, _cyare_ , we’re close,” General Kenobi replied, his voice less muffled than before. Cody closed his eyes and leaned his head against the rocks, breathing out a shaky sigh. His legs shook slightly, but he was determined to be standing when the General and whoever he was with finally got him out.

Cody stayed silent, listening intently for any other shouts from the General. After a few long moments of silence – which could’ve been any length of time, really – Cody heard the crunching of rocks below boots and the hums of a lightsaber.

“Cody?” General Kenobi called, his voice clear.

“General,” Cody breathed.

“Cody! Thank the Force. Stand back, I’m going to get you out of there.”

Cody nodded, even if the General couldn’t see it. “Yes, sir.”

Cody backed away to the pile of his armour, hand braced against the wall. A loud rumbling of shifting rocks echoed throughout the cavern, sending dust into the air. Cody coughed and covered his mouth and nose, trying not to die from dust inhalation after everything.

As soon as enough rocks were removed that Cody could see the blue light from the General’s ‘saber, someone crawled through the opening, landing on the ground with a _thunk_. Cody had to squint to see which _vod_ it was, but he made out the familiar ringed tattoo around Zero’s right eye as the medic walked towards him.

“Commander, it’s good to see you,” Zero said, placing down what Cody assumed was a medkit.

“I’ve never been happier to see a medic, Zero,” Cody said, gripping the medic’s forearm in greeting.

Zero went about his duties examining the various cuts and scrapes on Cody’s hands and body. Cody let him do it in silence, occupying himself with watching the General clear out the blockade.

He had to physically hold himself back from stepping towards the General once the rocks were moved enough that he could step into the cave. “General,” he choked out, nodding to the Jedi.

Zero moved aside as the General walked towards Cody, standing at arm’s length. “Commander,” he said quietly, deactivating his lightsaber. Cody closed the gap and wrapped his arms around the General, burying his face in the Jedi’s shoulder. General Kenobi returned the hug tightly. “ _Gar oyayc, ner cyar’ika. Ni olar, ni ganar gar_.”

“ _Gar nu jehaat_ ,” Cody muttered. “ _Vor entye, vor entye, vor entye._ ”

“General,” Zero interrupted, “he’s dehydrated and slightly malnourished. I’d sedate him for the way back, but I don’t know if it’ll have negative side effects without knowing the full extent of his injuries.”

“If he went to sleep, would he be okay?” General Kenobi asked.

“I’d say that’s our best bet, sir, if you can make him fall asleep.”

Cody felt a hand press to the back of his head and scratch lightly at the hairs there. “You should sleep now, _Kote_ , you’re safe now,” the General murmured. A small nudge of _good-idea_ and ­ _sleep-now_ accompanied the words.

He tried to resist the nudges, but the General continued the light scratching and the mutters of “you’re safe now,” and Cody was powerless to resist for too long. He was safe now. His Jedi was there. Cody let himself relax into the comforting arms of the Jedi and let his eyes slip close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translation
> 
> Osik – dung (impolite)  
> Vod – brother  
> Cyare – beloved  
> Kote – glory  
> Gar oyayc, ner cyar’ika – You’re alive, my darling  
> Ni olar, ni ganar gar – I’m here, I have you.  
> Gar nu jehaat – You didn’t lie  
> Vor entye – Thank you (lit. ‘I accept a debt’)


	20. Realisations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody figures some things out; boil had them figured out ages ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a lot shorter than usual, but at least cody's being a bit less of an idiot than usual

“I think I love him, Boil.”

The silence Cody received in response made Cody look up at Boil, who was sitting on the other end of Cody’s bunk. He was staring at Cody with a confused expression on his face. “What do you mean ‘I think’?” Boil asked. Cody pushed himself up onto his elbows, the hard mattress of the bunk barely giving way under his weight.

“What do _you_ mean?” Cody retorted.

“I could ask any _vod_ about you and the General and all of them would say that you love him,” Boil replied. “No ‘I think’s about it.”

Cody huffed in disbelief and lied back down on the bunk. “How would you know I love the General if I only figured it out a few days ago?” he asked, shaking his head.

“A few _days_ ago? I figured it out after the General defended you against that Admiral a few weeks after we got him.” Cody sneered internally at the memory of _that_ Admiral. He had never seen the man after the incident, and he hoped the GAR had fired him.

Externally, he glared at Boil half-heartedly. “This is my bunk, I’ll kick you out of it,” he threatened. “What gave it away?”

“Well,” Boil started, and Cody prepared himself. “For starters, you look at him like he personally created the Galaxy; you look to him for approval in everything; not to mention you both call each other _cyare_ and _cyar’ika_ like they’re normal names.” Cody sighed and threw an arm over his eyes. “ _Also,_ he looks like _that._ If you _weren’t_ in love with him, I’d be concerned.”

Cody looked up at Boil again. “What about you?”

Boil hummed thoughtfully. Instead of answering, he crawled on top of Cody and draped himself over the Commander. “Of course I love him, he’s our _jetii_ ,” Boil said. “I don’t love him as much as you do, though. I can tell.”

“ _Osik,_ ” Cody muttered. “ _Ni kar’taylir darasuum kaysh._ What do I do, _vod_? Jedi don’t form attachments. Aren’t _allowed_ to.”

Boil snorted. “I don’t think that’s stopped him, _Kote_.”

Cody knew that. At that point he was just making up excuses. He couldn’t fall in love with his commanding officer, it was unprofessional at best and some kind of power imbalance at worst. Plus, there were already multiple _vode_ (Boil included) that loved the General more than platonically, and Cody wasn’t sure how they would react.

“Cody, _ori’vod_ ,” Boil said, voice soft, “don’t worry about what we all think. Everyone knows how much you love the General. We all know the lengths you’d go for each other.”

Cody sighed, moving his head to press his and Boil’s foreheads together. “I don’t want to tell him, and then not make it to the end of the war, Boil. I can’t do that.” Cody knew the odds of him – of every clone alive right now – making it to the end of the war in one piece was slim to none, and he couldn’t – _wouldn’t_ put his General through the stress of losing someone else close to him.

“Wait until the end of the war, then,” Boil countered. He stopped Cody’s attempt at argument with a hand over the Commander’s mouth. “No. You _are_ going to make it to the end of this war, even if nobody else does.”

Cody wrapped his arms around Boil and pulled him closer, eliciting an amused huff from his _vod_. “I don’t want to think about that,” Cody muttered into Boil’s shoulder. “You have to be there to tell me off when I don’t tell him how I feel once it’s all over.”

“Of course, _Kot’ika_ ,” Boil laughed, shifting into a more comfortable position. “If I don’t see you kissing the General as soon as the last droid is shot, I’m going to hit you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, _vod’ika_.”

Neither of them moved for quite some time, just relishing the other’s company in the quiet (as quiet as the barracks could get). At some point Boil fell asleep on top of him, slow breaths brushing over Cody’s neck and making the hairs stand on end with the cold air.

Cody only realised the crystal had been quiet when it sent a gentle wave of calm through Cody’s mind – a wave which Cody had come to realise only occurred around the senior officers of the 212th. He reminded himself to research more about kyber crystals and left the thought at that.

Silently, he promised Boil and himself that they would all see the war to its end. Even if Cody died minutes afterwards, he _would_ see the moment Dooku and the Separatists finally gave up. And nothing would stand in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Vod – brother  
> Cyare – beloved  
> Cyar’ika – sweetheart/darling  
> Jetii – Jedi  
> Ni kar’taylir darasuum kaysh – I love him  
> Kote – glory  
> Ori’vod – older brother  
> Kot’ika – little glory  
> Vod’ika – little brother


	21. Drugged Pt. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody hates this planet, and hates that prince

Cody bristled as the warning snapped through his mind, informing him about who, exactly, had just walked through the doors. Cody turned with the General, glaring at the Prince behind his bucket.

“Master Kenobi, it is a pleasure to see you again!” Prince Ru-dok said, smiling warmly at the General. “It’s a shame you had to leave so abruptly last time.”

The General nodded with a smile usually reserved for annoying diplomats. “I do apologise for that, Your Highness. I do hope that will not happen this time,” he said. Behind his back, he signed _stand down_ to Cody, who politely pretended he didn’t see.

Cody stuck as close to the General as he could get away with as the Prince led them towards the dining room. As soon as they got to the doors, the Prince looked to Cody. “I’m sorry, this is a private meeting between Master Kenobi and I, you can wait outside if you wish.” His tone held poorly-disguised annoyance, indicating he knew it was Cody who got General Kenobi off the planet last time they visited.

“Your Highness, my Commander is fully capable of keeping anything that may be said in this room under discretion,” the General said. “I mean no offence by this, but I would like him to be in the room.”

 _Thank the Force for the General’s negotiation skills_ , Cody thought as Prince Ru-dok (reluctantly) nodded and opened the door for them both. As the General took a seat on the left of where the Prince would sit, Cody stood to the General’s right, placing himself slightly between them.

“Cody,” General Kenobi said gently, “it’s fine. Stand down.”

Cody narrowed his eyes behind his helmet but relented, moving so that he was standing against the wall. He still made sure he could see both General Kenobi’s food and drink, as well as Ru-dok’s movements. The presence of the tablecloth obscuring Cody’s vision of underneath the table annoyed him a bit, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

The crystal tucked safely underneath his armour reflected his annoyance at being further away from the General than he would like. He reminded himself that Cross, Boil and the other 212th troopers that had joined them were practically in the palace’s backyard, and that they were a button click away.

Cody wasn’t listening to the conversations as they drifted between politics and the negotiations General Kenobi was sent there to mediate. He began to tune in, however, when the Prince leaned forward, closer to the General.

“So, Master Kenobi, how long were you planning on staying?” Ru-dok asked. “I do hope you can stay longer than last time.”

“Unfortunately, Your Highness, I can only stay as long as the negotiations take place,” the General replied. “I would like to stay longer, this is such a beautiful planet, however the war does require my attention.”

The Prince nodded, moving his hand closer to the General’s. Cody’s vision snapped directly to the movement and he silently berated himself. The kyber crystal was quiet, excluding the persistent waves of annoyance directed at Ru-dok, and Cody was honestly just being ridiculous.

Ru-dok glanced over at Cody and then back to General Kenobi. “Your Commander is very attentive, I see,” he commented. “You’re very lucky to have him.”

The General looked over his shoulder to Cody, giving the Commander a warm smile. A small wave of _hello-there_ , _all-safe_ nudged at the back of Cody’s mind. He nodded in greeting and focused on sending a nudge of _on-watch_ back.

“Yes, I am,” General Kenobi responded to the Prince, facing him once more. “I’m lucky to have all of my troopers. They’re the best of the best, even if I am biased.” Ru-dok laughed, his hand moving the last few centimetres to cover the General’s. Cody could see the slight flush on the General’s cheeks – an advantage of the ginger hair and pale skin – from where he stood, as well as the slight leer to the Prince’s expression.

“Forgive my being forward, but would you be so kind as to accompany me to my rooms?” the Prince asked, tone innocent. “There is something I wish to show you.”

Cody had to restrain himself from stepping forward and pulling the General away from the Prince physically. His crystal nudged him to step in, but Cody didn’t want to just rush in without a proper excuse. However, a bad taste filled Cody’s mouth as he watched the General cover the Prince’s hand with his free one.

“Of course, Your Highness,” the General said, smiling softly. Cody held back a growl.

* * *

A few uneventful hours later, Prince Ru-dok rose from his chair and helped General Kenobi up. Cody couldn’t _see_ anything wrong, like when he and Cross helped him the first time on the planet, but Cody’s crystal pulsed a warning of _keep-watch_ in his mind. He didn’t take his eyes off the General and Ru-dok as they both made their way out of the dining hall.

Cody followed closely by the General’s left, prepared to pull the Jedi away as soon a Ru-dok tries _anything_. Ru-dok stepped between Cody and the General as soon as they reached the Prince’s room. “I’m sorry, Commander. Only _invited_ guests are allowed into my rooms,” he said, nearly hissing out the words.

“Your Highness,” Cody growled, not really caring anymore, “I must stick with my General at all times. Either I go into your rooms, or the General doesn’t.”

“ _Kote, cyare al’verde, ni morut’yc olar,_ ” the General said, words running together slightly. “I’ll be out soon.”

Cody wanted to disagree; wanted nothing more than to get General Kenobi out of there. He nodded stiffly, instead, eyes trained on Prince Ru-dok. “I’ll be out here the whole time, sir,” Cody told the General, who nodded and smiled in response.

As the Prince and General stepped into the room, the kyber crystal thrummed unhappily against Cody’s chest and in his mind. Cody turned on his helmet comm and connected with Boil, who he knew was probably pacing a hole in the ground.

“ _Cody? What is it?”_ Boil asked almost as soon as Cody pressed the call button. “ _Is the General in trouble?_ ”

“I’m not sure, Boil,” Cody replied. “Tell Cross that he should test the General as soon as I give the all-clear for him to come here, though. I have a bad feeling.”

Boil’s unhappy growl rumbled through Cody’s helmet. “ _I’m going to shoot that_ hut’uun _when I get the chance,_ ” he said. “ _I’ll put Cross on standby. Make sure the General is safe._ ”

“I will, _ver’alor_. He’s going to have to try harder to take our–”

Cody was cut off by a crash and yell from inside the Prince’s room. Without hesitation, he kicked open the door (thankful they opened inwards) and had his blaster out. “ _Cody?_ ” Boil yelled through the comm. “ _What’s happening?_ ”

“Get away from him,” Cody hissed, blaster pointed at the Prince’s head.

The General was backed into a corner, hands out in front of him defensively, staring at the Prince with wide eyes. Ru-dok was lying on his back on the ground, pushed up on his elbows and glaring at the General, with a broken vase behind him.

Cody walked over and picked up the tube in the Prince’s hand, blaster still pointed at his head threateningly.

“ _Cody,_ vod _, for kriff’s sake, what’s happening?_ ” Boil insisted, sounded panicked and angry all at once.

“Send Cross,” Cody told him, turning off the comm. “General, are you okay?” General Kenobi looked at Cody and nodded slightly, still in his corner. Cody walked over to the General and placed a hand on his shoulder, tugging gently. “Come on, _cyar’ika_ , we’re going. The Council can send someone else.”

“But–”

“Ru-dok will be seen to by his own doctors, sir,” Cody said. “Cross is already on his way, and hopefully he’ll hold back Boil before he storms the place.”

General Kenobi looked at the Prince once more before he turned back to Cody and nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” He let Cody grab his forearm and pull him gently through corridors and to the entrance of the palace, where Cross was all but physically holding Boil from kicking in the doors.

“General!” Boil shouted. He ran towards the Jedi and ran his hands over the General’s neck and arms, checking for injuries. “Where is the _Prince_ , Cody? I have some words to give him.”

General Kenobi shook his head and pressed his hand to Boil’s cheek. “ _Ne’baatir, ner cyar'verd_ ,” he muttered. Boil tilted his head towards the Jedi’s hand but didn’t close his eyes. “Let’s go home, okay? You can all worry over me there." Cody handed Cross the tube silently as he passed the medic, who glared at it like it was the reason for all his problems. Cody wasn't sure how incorrect that was.

On the walk to camp, Cody and Boil stood either side of the General like bodyguards, shoulders brushing his as they walked. It was as much to assure the Jedi as it was for themselves, but none of them mentioned it.

In the back of Cody’s mind, pulses of _safe-with-you_ and _going-home_ lessened the worried adrenaline running through Cody’s bloodstream. The next person to tell him they were going to this planet was getting a blaster shot to the head, even if it was the Chancellor himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Kote, cyare al’verde, ni morut’yc olar – Cody, beloved Commander, I’m safe here.  
> Hut’uun – coward (worst possible insult in Mando’a)  
> Ver’alor – Lieutenant  
> Vod – brother  
> Cyar’ika – darling/sweetheart  
> Ne’baatir, ner cyar'verd – Don’t worry, my beloved soldier


	22. Crystal Pt. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody and obi-wan do some training with the force

Cody was sat in front of the General in the empty training room in his blacks, legs crossed and back straight. He held his kyber crystal gently, cupped in his hands with the cord dangling to the ground. The General had taken apart his lightsaber and was doing the same with his own crystal, held a hand apart from Cody’s.

“Close your eyes and breathe slowly,” the General said. “Try and find where the crystal connects to your mind.”

Cody did as he was instructed. He mentally reached for the pulses of _stay-here_ coming from his kyber crystal. Alongside the familiar warm pulses was a steady stream of _happy-with-you_ which Cody suspected came from the General’s crystal. He realised that the two crystals were entwined, rope-like Force signatures wrapping around one another and leading off into the darkness.

“See how they’re wrapped around each other?” General Kenobi asked, to which Cody nodded his head in reply. “Try and follow that rope until you hear something else. Don’t go any further than that.”

Cody imagined walking alongside the rope, hand running over the strands lightly. As he ‘walked’ another nudge started to tug at him, drawing him in further. Eventually, the nudge turned into a repetition of _have you found it,_ Kote _?_ He had to think for a bit, but he pushed back an affirmation to the question.

The General hummed, a wave of happiness and pride replacing the question. “Good, Cody,” he said. “Try to send a whole message. It doesn’t have to be long.”

Focusing on the General’s presence in his mind, Cody sent the first thing that came to his mind. Ni cuyir par gar, ner alor. It got him a reply of _don’t say that_ as well as an undercurrent of something Cody couldn’t quite work out.

“Try find your way back into your own mind, now,” General Kenobi said. “Follow your crystal back.”

As Cody returned to his own mind he could feel his knees touching the General’s and hear the soft breathing of them both. Most significantly, a warm feeling blanketed his entire body, even though he couldn’t feel anything on him. It drew him out of his own mind and back into the training room where he noticed the air around him and the General shimmer slightly as if someone had covered the air in fine shards of glitter.

Cody took the time to watch as the General did… whatever it was he was doing in the silence of the room. The shimmering air fluttered through the General’s hair gently, making it look softer than it usually did. With their proximity, Cody noticed light freckles dotting his cheeks and nose, retreating into his beard as they went down.

A nudge pushed him to lean forward and Cody barely realised he had followed it until the General’s soft breaths were dusting over Cody’s mouth, now-open blue-grey eyes watching Cody curiously. The shimmering air and warm feeling around Cody had disappeared, and Cody found he missed them slightly. He leaned away quickly with a cough, looking anywhere but the General. Their crystals were still held close together, radiating happy pulses in Cody’s mind.

“T-thank you, sir,” Cody said, attempting (and failing) to act casual. “That was… an experience.”

General Kenobi laughed quietly and nodded. He looked thoughtful for a few seconds before he looked up at Cody. “May I try something, Cody? I’m not sure what will happen, as this kind of thing has never been done before.”

“Of course, sir,” Cody said.

The General took Cody’s hand gently with his free one and positioned his crystal – now enclosed in his fist – above Cody’s own, the only thing separating them being the General’s fingers. The _happy_ pulses intensified as the General did so, vibrating down Cody’s spine.

“Okay?” the General asked. Cody nodded and raised his free hand to cover the General’s fist. General Kenobi took a breath and released his fist, letting both crystals connect with each other in the sandwich of their hands.

_Home-again, never-leaving._

Cody felt closed his eyes tightly, fighting against the sudden light-headedness and pain behind his eyes, as if he had just looked directly into a plasma beam. He had to control his breathing, feeling as if the air had just been knocked from his lungs with the contact of the crystals.

 _Cody?_ Cyar’ika _, are you okay?_

Cody couldn’t even nod, barely aware of his surroundings. He tried his best to say he was alright, but he had no idea if it got through or not. In the darkness of his closed eyes Cody could see a bright light where he previously found the entwined cords of his and the General’s crystals.

He got closer, curious, and reached out to the blinding-bright Force signatures. He snapped open his eyes with a gasp as the sudden wall of emotions all but kicked him out of his own head, leaving him disoriented and breathless. He closed his eyes again to stave off the disorientation, happy to find he couldn’t see the bright lights anymore.

Hands came up to his face and held it steady, thumbs brushing rhythmically across his cheekbones and up to the corners of his eyes. A soft voice was muttering something Cody couldn’t quite make out, but he didn’t mind too much. He, instead, leaned into the hands and let out a satisfied hum. The crystals in his mind were softly complaining about being separated, yet Cody preferred the hands over the warm bond of the crystals.

After a while, Cody opened his eyes slowly, suddenly tired. The hands – which he quickly realised were the General’s – were still cupping his face gently. “Cody?” the General asked quietly. “I’m sorry, _al’verde_ , I didn’t realise that would happen.”

“It’s okay, sir. I just didn’t expect–” Cody waved his hands “– all of that.” He rubbed at his eyes, a small pain still prodding at the back of them. “What was that?”

“I think that the crystals connected stronger than I expected,” General Kenobi said, finally removing his hands from Cody’s face. “It felt like a Force bond, a bit. Except…” he trailed off, looking down at Cody’s crystal. “Except it was _natural_.” At Cody’s confused look, he continued: “Force bonds are usually created by all parties involved, over time. This bond was… it seemed to be snapped into place, created immediately, and it felt… correct, for lack of a better word.”

Cody nodded, the memory of the bright bond still fresh in his mind. “It was very bright, sir,” he commented. “I’m not sure I’m prepared to do that any time soon, though.” He hung the crystal around his neck once more, smoothing out the cord between his fingers for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry about that,” the General said, placing a hand on Cody’s knee. “We’ll stick with the basics, first, I think. I need to do some more research before we connect two resonating kyber crystals together without preparation.”

“I think you’re just as bad as General Skywalker, sir,” Cody teased.

“Connecting two crystals isn’t the same as crash-landing a ship, Cody,” General Kenobi replied. “I’m disappointed you’d even think that.”

A small hint of _love-you_ overlaid with the pulses of happiness from Cody’s crystal washed through his mind as they both let the room fall into a comfortable silence. The nudge to lean in poked at Cody’s mind again but he ignored it that time.

“Thank you for agreeing to do this,” the General said softly. “I understand the Force can be overwhelming for non-Force-sensitives.”

“Of course, _ner cyar’alor_. _Ni cuyir par gar_.” The soft glare the General gave him made Cody return a joking grin, but he meant the words as much as he did the first time. “Thank you for teaching me, sir.”

Cody decided he could watch the General’s smile forever and it wouldn’t be enough time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Kote – glory  
> Ni cuyir par gar, ner alor – I exist for you, my leader  
> Cyar’ika – darling/sweetheart  
> Al’verde – Commander  
> Ner cyar’alor – my beloved leader


	23. Crashed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody gets put in medbay, general skywalker is to blame, cody gets a kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was inspired by Ruinin's prompt, but i do have an actual idea for that so i'm not marking it as filled right now. still hope you enjoy!!

“Cody! Are you okay?” The General’s voice was fuzzy, on account of the fact that Cody had basically been knocked out of the air by General Skywalker and everything in his head was fuzzy. His helmet was pulled off and his head was moved so that he was eye-to-eye with General Kenobi. “Cody? Say something, please.”

Cody blinked. “That hurt,” he commented. It got a breathless laugh from the Jedi.

“I imagine it did, Cody,” the General said. “You’ll be okay, just wait here for Cross, _tion suvarir_? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I’m fine, sir,” Cody replied, trying to push himself off the ground. “The battle won’t wait for that. I’ll see Cross afterwards.”

General Kenobi pushed Cody back onto the ground gently. “No, Cody, stay here. You most likely have a concussion and possibly several broken bones. I’ve already called Cross; he’ll be here soon.”

 _Hypocrite_ , Cody thought. He reached up and gripped the General’s forearm, the movement sending a sharp pain through his torso, and leaned back against the fallen tree he’d been placed by. “You’d better win this, General.”

“For you, _al’verde_ ,” the General replied, nodding with a determined look and a smile.

* * *

Cody frowned as he heard the distinct voices of General Kenobi and Skywalker outside the medical tent, shouting at one another. “Seriously, Anakin, it was a wonder nobody died!” General Kenobi said. “You can’t just go landing on other ships mid-air without a _warning_.”

“I did warn him, Obi-Wan!” General Skywalker replied, sounding frustrated.

“Clearly not, or else my Commander wouldn’t be in Cross’ care right now for multiple broken bones and a Force-damned concussion,” General Kenobi retorted. “I’m perfectly fine with you crash landing half the ships you pilot, but _not_ when my men are involved.”

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, as General Kenobi entered the tent and made a beeline for Cody. “Cody how are you feeling?” he asked, sitting at Cody’s bedside.

“Better, after being practically slathered in bacta,” Cody replied. He could still feel the sliminess of the bacta over his ribs and arm. Even the kyber crystal was pulsing with vague disgust. “Why were you shouting at General Skywalker?”

“Eavesdropping, Commander?” the General teased. His face went serious. “I was telling him that landing a ship on top of another ship mid-air, mid-battle with barely a warning. _Especially_ when it puts people in more danger than necessary.”

Cody shook his head. “This war is putting us in more danger then necessary, sir. General Skywalker’s antics are adding basically nothing to the counter,” he tried to reassure the Jedi. “Anyway, it was only me on the ship he landed on. Nobody else was hurt.”

General Kenobi sighed and rubbed his temples. “I would rather Anakin didn’t add anything to the danger.”

“I think that’s asking for a miracle to happen,” Cody laughed. The movement hurt his ribs, making him press a hand to his sternum and grimace slightly. “Okay, don’t make me laugh.”

The General placed a hand atop Cody’s and closed his eyes. Nearly instantly, a cool feeling washed over Cody’s torso and the pain subsided. It wasn’t gone, but it was definitely less noticeable.

“Thank you, sir,” Cody muttered. He forced himself to continue breathing normally as the General twisted his hand underneath Cody’s and entwined their fingers, not saying anything.

“ _Mayen, ner cyar’ika_.”

Cody swallowed, averting his eyes and staring down at the sheets on the bed. He tried his best to ignore the crystal humming in time with his heart. “ _Ni jahaala, ner cyar’alor._ You have duties to attend to,” Cody said. “Cross’ll make sure I’m better than ever before he even lets me out of this bed.”

General Kenobi huffed out a laugh and squeezed Cody’s hand. “My duties are to make sure my Commander is okay, Cody. You’re an essential part of the 212th.”

“Your duties are to make sure General Skywalker doesn’t go landing more ships on things he’s not supposed to land on,” Cody said. “I’ll be okay.”

The General raised their entwined fingers to his lips and gently pressed a kiss to Cody’s knuckles, watching for Cody’s reaction. Cody was thankful that his skin tone prevented any flushes from showing up as easily as the General’s paleness, but he was pretty sure the General would notice from how close he was sitting.

“Be well, my dear,” the General said, placing Cody’s hand back down on the bed and letting go of it. Cody watched dumbfounded as the Jedi stood up and left the medical tent, nodding to Zero as he went.

Zero made his way over quickly, and Cody knew what he was about to be asked before his _vod_ even opened his mouth. “Did the General just k–”

“Yes, Zero,” Cody interrupted. “I’m about as surprised as you are.”

“You’re fucked,” was Zero’s helpful comment before he left. Cody just nodded to himself.

* * *

Cody was sitting on the medical bed, putting on his final pieces of armour, when he was visited by Generals Skywalker and Kenobi. “Sirs,” he nodded, “what can I do for you?”

“Anakin’s here to say something to you,” General Kenobi said, smiling gently.

General Skywalker looked less than impressed. “I gave him a warning, Obi-Wan!”

“And you still crashed two ships.”

“Fine. I’m sorry, Commander,” General Skywalker said. He did seem to mean it, but the look on his face showed that he was more than a little annoyed at being there. General Kenobi nudged him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry for landing my ship on yours without a proper warning, Cody. It won’t happen again.”

Cody huffed. “Like I said to General Kenobi, sir, that’s asking for a miracle to happen,” he said. “But thank you for apologising.”

“Can I go now?”

General Kenobi shook his head fondly. “Yes, Anakin.”

As General Skywalker all but sprinted out of the med tent, General Kenobi looked to Cody. “Cross has cleared you, I assume?” he asked, motioning to the armour.

“Mostly, sir,” Cody replied. “No extreme work, but I’ve been kicked out of bed.”

“I’m glad.” General Kenobi placed a hand on Cody’s neck, just where his blacks eneded, and squeezed gently. “Meetings have been too quiet without you there. I’ll be happy to have you back.”

Cody leaned ever-so-slightly into the General’s cool hand. He rubbed his fingers over the knuckles the General had kissed absently, pushing the thoughts that arose from the movement to the back of his mind. “I’ll be glad to be back,” he replied after a few seconds too long. “You can only annoy Cross and Zero so many times before they threaten you with sedation.”

“Let’s get you out of here then,” the General laughed. “Can’t be in a mission briefing if you’ve annoyed our _baar’ure_ so much that you’re knocked out.”

Cody finished putting on his vambrace and stood up, his knees cracking. “I think you’re more wanted in here than I am, sir. I know you didn’t come in from the last battle, and I saw you get enough injuries then.”

General Kenobi placed an arm around Cody’s back and led him out of the tent. “Don’t draw attention to me, Commander. I _do_ need to attend a briefing.”

“Cross!” Cody called out.

“Get out,” the General replied, pushing a laughing Cody outside of the tent before the medic could respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Tion suvarir? – understand?  
> Al’verde – Commander  
> Mayen, ner cyar’ika – Anything, my darling  
> Ni jahaala, ner cyar’alor – I’m well, my beloved leader  
> Vod – brother  
> Baar’ure – medics


	24. Maul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the 212th watch some security footage and have an encounter with an old friend of the general's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompted by purplelily24! hope you enjoy!!
> 
> maul might be a bit ooc but it's been a bit since i've heard his speech patterns so forgive me

Cody had no idea how the surveillance footage managed to get handed around to the 212th, how _anyone_ managed to get their hands on it. He suspected Smuggler or Uno were the ones who got it aboard, but how _they_ got it Cody had no clue.

It was probably the fifth time he’d seen the footage – familiar to him in a distant sort of way – but he couldn’t stop watching. It was like the aftermath of a speeder crash; you just couldn’t look away.

“Is that _really_ the General?” Trip asked, looking up at Cody.

Cody nodded silently, still watching the footage of the young General Kenobi, Padawan braid and all, scream out silently (for there was, perhaps thankfully, no sound to the footage) for his Master as the red and black Zabrak pierced the elder Jedi’s abdomen. Every trooper gathered around that datapad playing the footage went silent in horror as the man fell to the ground, motionless.

Quiet growls reached Cody’s ears as Maul moved over to the red ray-shield and paced (prowled, more like) back and forth in front of their Jedi. Even from the strange angle of the footage, Cody could see the glare their General was giving Maul. He had never seen the General so… _angry_.

Then, the ray-shield dropped.

The General’s fighting in the footage was similar to the technique Cody saw in the nightmare, and he barely paid attention to it. Instead, Cody watched the expressions of the troopers around him as they watched. Trip was staring, wide-eyed, at the datapad in front of him, hands clenched; Uno looked three seconds away from finding out how to go back in time and punch Maul in the face himself; and Bird, who Cody knew had seen the footage before, was glaring at the screen.

Cody looked back as the General ran over to his Master and collapsed by his side. He couldn’t tell what the General was saying but the defeated posture made Cody’s heart clench. He had never seen his General like that (aside from the shared nightmare) and it made Cody wonder just how General Kenobi was dealing with this war.

“Is he dead?” Bird asked, looking to Cody. “If he isn’t–”

“He’s dead,” Cody interrupted. “He got cut in half, he’s definitely dead.”

Uno scoffed. “I’ve seen stranger things happen than someone surviving being cut in half.” Cody didn’t want to think about what would happen if Maul was still alive.

“Make sure the General doesn’t see that,” was all Cody said as he turned away, fully prepared to drown himself in whatever paperwork he had managed to wrangle away from their resident Jedi in order to distract himself.

* * *

Cody woke up calmly, which was strange. Whenever he woke up at – he checked the chronometer – one in the morning, something was usually wrong. He closed his eyes and reached out to his connection with his kyber crystal and, in turn, its connection with the General’s.

He jerked away as he felt the sheer barrage of _pain_ that pulsed from the General’s side. It wasn’t _pain_ from an injury, yet it was still intense enough that Cody sat up from his bunk hurriedly. He pulled on his boots and made his way down the corridors to the General’s quarters.

Cody knocked, purely out of courtesy, before punching in the General’s code and opening the door. General Kenobi was sitting at his desk, hunched over paperwork, and looking relatively at peace. He looked up as Cody entered, frowning. “Cody? Is something wrong?”

“Are you okay, General?” Cody asked, stepping into the room. “I felt… pain.”

“Oh,” the General said, looking down at his paperwork, “I wasn’t aware that went through. I did try to shield you from it.”:

Cody knelt beside the General’s chair. “What’s wrong, sir?”

The room was silent as Cody let the General think about his words. “I saw the footage,” he said finally. “I’m not quite sure how it managed to get on board, but it just… reminded me of some things.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I should’ve told them to get rid of it,” Cody replied. He put a hand on the General’s thigh.

“No, Cody, it’s okay. I…” he trailed off, wiping at his eyes. “Maul’s still alive, and… and he killed Satine.”

Cody blinked, mind trying to process it. Apparently Uno was correct – stranger things had happened than people surviving being cut in half. “Duchess Satine?” he asked. “Of Mandalore?” The General nodded, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

“He… he killed her in front of me, Cody,” the General said. “The same way he killed Qui-Gon. I think I’m cursed, or else the Force is playing the universe’s cruellest joke.”

Cody stood up. “You aren’t cursed, _cyare_ ,” he insisted.

General Kenobi looked up at him, eyes red, and glared half-heartedly. “Everyone I loved has died _in my arms_ , Cody! All of them! Qui-Gon, Siri, Satine…”

Cody grabbed the General’s forearm and pulled him out of the chair, wrapping his arms around the Jedi’s shoulders and pulling him into a hug. The General stiffened slightly but eventually relaxed and returned the embrace, burying his head in Cody’s neck.

“I can’t do it anymore,” the General sobbed. “I can’t. I don’t want to see anyone else die because I loved them too much.”

“It isn’t you loving them that killed them, _cyar’ika_. Your love doesn’t kill people,” Cody replied, running his fingers through the Jedi’s hair.

“It feels like it.”

Cody leaned his head against the General’s. “I’ll prove it, sir. Promise,” he muttered, promising himself as much as the General.

* * *

Maul was a lot _taller_ than Cody remembered. That might be on account of the metal legs that he seemed to have gained. The Zabrak looked even eviler in person, his yellow eyes glinting angrily at the General. Said Jedi was standing beside Cody, lightsaber activated and posture tense.

“Kenobi,” Maul growled, a grin on his face.

“Maul,” General Kenobi replied, voice calm. “What are you doing here?”

Cody, as well as the four other troopers, pointed their blasters at the Zabrak as he took a step forward. “Looking for you,” Maul replied, “and I seem to have succeeded.”

Between one instance and the next, Maul had activated his blood-red ‘saber and jumped at General Kenobi, who quickly raised his own and met the Zabrak with an angry hiss of ‘sabers. The General pushed them both back, away from the group of troopers.

“What do we do, sir?” Lucky asked, blaster tracking the battle in front of them.

“Stay alert, no shooting unless the General directs it,” Cody called, watching in horrified fascination at the Jedi and Sith.

Cody had watched the General fight Grievous and Ventress, but had never seen such rage and hatred in someone’s movements. It was a dangerous dance, with General Kenobi on the defence and Maul doing his best to cut off the General’s head. Cody’s heart was jumping with each close call.

When the General hissed after a particularly lucky strike from Maul, Cody took a step forward, his finger twitching over his blaster trigger. Maul’s attention seemed to be drawn by the movement, as did the General’s.

“Cody! Stay back!” the General yelled, trying to regain Maul’s attention once more. Maul fought even harder against the Jedi, eventually overcoming him and forcing him to the ground.

Instead of killing the General, Maul turned towards Cody with a twisted grin. “Another _attachment_ , Kenobi?” he growled, stepping towards Cody. General Kenobi groaned, wrapping his arm around his stomach in pain.

Maul held out his hand and squeezed the air, picking Cody up using the Force. Cody dropped his blaster in order to claw at the invisible hand choking him. He could see Uno in his peripherals aim his blaster at Maul, but the trooper didn’t shoot.

“No! Cody!” the General shouted, scrambling off the floor and holding out his hand. “Let him go! Please!” Cody could feel his head go light with oxygen deprivation, his limbs feeling too heavy for his muscles. “Please, no!”

Cody was about to pass out when he was dropped unceremoniously on the ground. His helmet was pulled off as he coughed and drew in deep breaths. “Commander? Are you okay?” Lucky asked.

Cody nodded, looking towards the General and Maul. General Kenobi was standing again, lightsaber in hand and glaring at Maul. “What do you want, Maul?” he asked.

“To see you suffer, Kenobi,” Maul hissed. Cody watched as Maul jumped away, disappearing in a few long bounds.

General Kenobi made his way over to Cody, deactivating his lightsaber and kneeling by Cody’s side. “I’m sorry, Cody, you shouldn’t have gotten caught up in that,” he said, running his thumb across Cody’s cheekbone.

Cody just smiled at him. “I proved you aren’t cursed, sir,” he said. “I’m not dead.”

The General looked taken aback before he smiled shakily in return. “Maybe so, Cody.” Cody knew the General didn’t agree with him, but it was close enough for Cody. He’ll prove the Jedi wrong, yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Cyare – beloved  
> Cyar’ika – darling/sweetheart


	25. Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes cody hated how good-looking the general was because he seemed to get into trouble over it too often

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was prompted by ImploringIdeal! hope you enjoy <3

Cody knew General Kenobi was attractive. He knew that fact _very_ well. Sometimes, though, he just wished the Jedi didn’t look the way he did. _So pretty_ , was a phrase that got thrown around a fair amount of times in the barracks. It meant that whenever the 212th got leave (and sometimes even when they were on a mission) someone would inevitably flirt with the General, and that never ended well.

When they walked into the bar, Cody had immediately scouted out a place where he could watch all of his men – and his General – without obstructions. The troopers that were there knew what he was doing and left him be, taking to the bar for a drink or other patrons for some entertainment. The General, however, joined him at the table with a smile on his face.

“We’re supposed to be relaxing, Cody,” he teased. “Go get a drink, have fun. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Cody raised an eyebrow. “You’ll jinx it, sir. Something always goes wrong when you’re involved,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. “I’ll be keeping watch; you can go _have fun_.”

The General huffed out a laugh and patted Cody’s hand. “If you insist, Commander. Get someone to take over at some point, okay?” Cody nodded, not planning on doing that in the slightest, and the General stood and made his way over to the bar.

It took all of 30 seconds for someone to approach the Jedi. Cody kept a keen eye on the humanoid, her posture one Cody would recognise on sight. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but he could see the way she twisted her blonde hair around her fingers and laughed at whatever the General had said, and the way she got too close to the General for Cody’s comfort.

Cody stood from his seat, gaining the attention of some nearby troopers, and made his way over to the General. As he got closer, he picked up the end of the woman’s sentence: “–here with anyone?”

At that moment, the General noticed Cody’s presence. “I’m here with my friend, Cody,” he said, gesturing to him. “Cody, this is Numia.”

“A clone?” Numia asked, nearly covering her disgust with curiosity. “How… interesting.”

“One of the best,” General Kenobi said, smiling at Cody. “Finally relaxing, I see?” he asked Cody, eyes glinting with humour.

Cody shrugged. “Something like that.” He could feel the eyes of some of the men on him, watching curiously, but he ignored them. He stood behind the General, making the Jedi turn and lean against the bar in order to not have his back towards Cody. “I would advise not getting too inebriated,” Cody said, “we don’t need you to be drunk as well as the _vode_.”

“Of course not, Cody,” the General replied.

Numia frowned. “You’re here with more clones?” she asked. Cody was quite enjoying making her annoyed, but he schooled his expression. “How many are there?”

The General shook his head. “Oh, I don’t remember,” he replied. Against Cody’s thigh, he pressed the signal for _watch-out_. Cody acknowledged it with a tap against the back of the General’s hand before he drew away, taking a drink from his glass.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to… antagonise your friends too much,” Numia purred. “How about we go to my place?”

Something bubbled up in Cody’s stomach and he looked over to her, narrowing his eyes. General Kenobi responded before Cody could. “I’m quite happy here, thank you,” he said sweetly. “My men are hard to antagonise, so I’m sure staying here can’t do much harm.”

 _Unless she tries something, sir,_ Cody thought, not really attempting to send the thought to the General. Based on the quick glance, it still went through their by-association Force bond.

“Oh, but I have some things in mind that _your men_ might not want to see,” Numia replied, seemingly annoyed at how defiant the General is being.

Cody stood up and moved so that he was standing behind the General, body facing Numia. “No trooper would allow our General to go anywhere alone with the likes of you,” he said. “Please leave and there will be no consequences.”

Numia stood to her full height. She was taller than Cody, but not so much that Cody wasn’t sure he could take her down with a well-aimed punch to the side of the head. “Don’t order me around _clone_ ,” she hissed.

 _Cody! Stand down!_ the General thought towards Cody, fingers wrapped around Cody’s wrist.

Some patrons of the bar had stopped to watch the scene, possibly hoping for a fight. Every trooper in Cody’s line of sight was tensed and ready to jump into action if needed. “Obi-Wan is _our_ Jedi, ma’am. He’s not available,” Cody stressed.

The part of Cody’s mind connected to the General pulsed with something akin to confusion and… something else Cody couldn’t pin down. Happiness? He didn’t linger on the thought too long, staring down Numia instead.

She laughed. “Yours? Clones don’t have possessions,” she said. “And you can’t _own_ a person, that’s slavery.” Cody didn’t answer, just glared at her.

“Cody, that’s enough,” General Kenobi said, placing a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Numia. He’s not usually like this.”

“We’re going, General,” Cody said, signing to the watching troopers the same message. “We can find somewhere else to relax, tonight.” The General seemed hesitant, looking at Cody with a slight crease in his brow.

Numia scoffed and downed the rest of her drink. “Like the bedroom?”

The next thing Cody knew she was on the ground, multiple people were shouting, and there were blasters trained on her prone form.

“Cody!” General Kenobi shouted. “What was that for?”

Cody wasn’t really sure, if he was honest. Numia’s comment was clearly aimed as an insult towards the General as much as Cody, and it didn’t settle well in Cody’s mind. He could take insults towards his _vode_ and himself and brush them off – there were enough people in the galaxy that didn’t like clones that he just tuned the comments out – but insulting _their_ General was a step too far.

Some of the reasoning must have gone through their bond because the General sighed and took Cody’s wrist. “Come on, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome,” he said, leading Cody outside. The troopers who joined them looked less than pleased to be dragged away from their drinks and company, but Cody knew that they held the General above their own pleasures and that it wouldn’t lead to any serious complaining back on board _The Negotiator._

“That was a bit much, don’t you think?” General Kenobi asked as he and Cody walked towards their transport. The other troopers had separated into groups to go find somewhere else to relax when the General told them they could, so it was just him and Cody now.

“Maybe,” Cody replied, stepping aboard. “But what I said in there was true, sir. Most of the 212th think of you as ours, and we wouldn’t be very happy if she tried anything.”

The back of Cody’s mind flickered with a mixture of emotions from the General. “Well, I don’t think she had the best of intentions,” the General relented. “Even though it was probably an overreaction, you had the right idea.”

“Glad you agree, sir,” Cody said, grinning to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Vode – brothers


	26. Supply Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the supply closet was not the greatest place to hide, cody will tell you that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone it's the obligatory 'in a small confined space with your crush' fic
> 
> this was prompted by starker98! hope you enjoy <3

“Well, this is awkward,” General Kenobi said, breath ghosting over Cody’s face.

Somehow, Cody and the General had managed to trap themselves in the supply closet. It didn’t seem that _small_ when only one person was in it, but Cody was nearly chest-to-chest with the General in the room.

“Maybe the supply closet that locks from the _outside_ wasn’t the best place to hide from General Skywalker, sir,” Cody said, resisting the urge to shift in place. He tried to not stare directly at the General’s face, but there weren’t many options.

General Kenobi laughed softly. “Maybe so, my dear. It is a little cosy in here.” _That’s an understatement,_ Cody thought. He leaned his head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. He contemplated the pros and cons of calling Boil or Longshot to come to rescue them. Was it _really_ worth it for the teasing?

He made a mental list;

> Pros: He would no longer be _stuck_ in a small closet with the General
> 
> Cons: He would no longer be stuck in a small closet with _the General_ , and the entire 212th would make fun of him.

Well, he supposed they were staying.

Cody looked back at the General and met his eyes. He had never been close enough to actually _look_ at them properly and took the time to properly study them. They looked like a sea of blue and grey, mixing together like gas clouds in the pretty nebulae that Cody researched at one time. Cody briefly thanked the Force that his General was a Jedi and that he didn’t have the harsh yellow eyes of the Sith (although, silently, he wondered if his eyes would be as beautiful even if he were a Sith).

“Do you have any ideas, Cody?” the General asked, snapping Cody out of his admiring.

“No, General, sorry,” Cody replied. “Wait until someone realises that we’re missing? There are only so many places on the ship we could be, right?”

General Kenobi sighed and nodded. “I suppose so. I do hope this doesn’t make you too uncomfortable.”

“I’m okay, sir. You have more of a reason to be uncomfortable, considering plastoid isn’t the most comfortable thing in the galaxy,” Cody said, tapping against his thigh and creating _clack_ with the movement. The General hummed and smiled in reply, nodding slightly.

The closet filled with silence. Cody wished he could just… lean forward slightly. The General was _right there_ , and it would be so easy. Yet, the repercussions would be horrible to deal with. Instead, he swallowed down the urge and shifted slightly in place.

“You seem troubled, Commander,” the General said. “What’s wrong?”

Cody shook his head. “It’s nothing, sir. Standing in place too long is all.”

The General didn’t seem to buy the excuse and narrowed his eyes. Cody watched as he brought a hand up and placed it on Cody’s cheek. “You know you can tell me anything, Cody,” he said. “Please don’t hide from me.”

In the back of his mind, the crystal pulsed _tell-him tell-him love-you-so._

“I know, sir. I just… I’m still figuring this problem out myself, to be honest. You can’t exactly help with a problem I don’t even know properly,” Cody admitted. A supply closet wasn’t the best place to talk about feelings, and Cody hoped he could skirt around the topic.

The General had the opposite idea. “Tell me about it? Maybe we can figure it out together,” he suggested, removing his hand from Cody’s cheek and returning it to his side. _Oh, Force_.

Cody swallowed. “Well, I… I think I love someone,” he said. “But, I don’t think they love me back, and I… I don’t know if I should tell them or not.”

“Well,” the General started, “what’s your relationship now with this person?”

“I… we’re friends,” Cody replied. He could consider the General a friend, right? He certainly wasn’t the same ‘friend’ as the _vode,_ but he was a friend.

“Why don’t you think you should tell them?”

Cody paused. “I don’t want our current relationship to suffer because they don’t have the same feelings as I do,” he said. “And, there’s a war going on. I feel that, even if our relationship _did_ grow, the possibility that either of us could die at any time would impact how well we did our jobs.”

The General nodded in acknowledgement. “I may not be the _best_ person to be handing out relationship advice, but I say tell them. As long as you both agree to not let your relationship affect your commitments, I don’t see how bad it could possibly be.”

 _If only it were that simple_ , Cody thought.

“And,” the General continued, “if they don’t return your feelings, I don’t see why you can’t stay friends. Sure, it might be a bit awkward for a while but why let it ruin what you already have?”

Cody nodded. “I suppose so, sir. I’m not sure how they’ll react, though.” He looked back into the General’s eyes, the crystal nudging him to _lean-in_ gently but insistently. “They’re one of my closest friends.”

“If they’re so close to you, they shouldn’t let your feelings change your relationship,” the General said.

Cody hummed in reply. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to the General’s, closing his eyes and breathing steadily in order to try to calm his heartbeat. _It’s not a Keldabe kiss if you aren’t in full armour_ , he told himself. _It doesn’t count_.

Cody’s mind flooded with annoyance from the crystal. _Tell-him tell-him tell-him_ it insisted. He told it to get lost, which was returned with a prick of _idiot_. Cody sighed, opening his eyes and leaning away from the General.

General Kenobi’s expression was softer than Cody had ever seen it as they stood in silence. “Cody, I…”

He was interrupted by the door hissing open.

Cody looked over and practically glared at Longshot, who raised his hands with a grin on his face. “Sorry, sirs, am I interrupting something?”

The General left the closet first, straightening out the non-existent creases in his robe. “No, Longshot, you’re fine. Thank you for freeing us.”

Cody followed the General out but stayed by Longshot’s side as the General disappeared down the hallway faster than usual. Longshot looked between Cody and the retreating Jedi. “I definitely interrupted something, didn’t I?” he asked.

“I don’t know whether to thank you or kill you for it,” Cody replied, sighing. The crystal called him an idiot once again and, this time, Cody agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Vode – brothers


	27. Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> conversations about feelings, and utapau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda disjointed but the next chapters will be more... together i promise

“How did you manage to kriff it up so badly?” Boil asked, looking down at Cody in his lap. His hands were resting on Cody’s chest, drumming a steady beat that Cody’s crystal had joined in on. “He was right there, and you _didn’t_ kiss him?”

Cody groaned and covered his eyes with his forearm. “I know, I have no idea why I didn’t,” he replied.

“He’s just down the hall, why don’t you tell him now?” Boil suggested, moving Cody’s arm away from his face.

“It’s like you’re asking me to grow wings,” Cody said, monotonously.

Boil rolled his eyes in return, muttering, “that might have a higher probability than you actually telling the General how you feel.”

Cody’s comm beeped with a message, saving him from Boil’s insults. It was a simple text message from the General, telling Cody to meet him on the bridge. A small part of Cody was disappointed that it wasn’t the General’s quarters, but he pushed that part away.

“Go get your man,” Boil teased as Cody rolled off the bunk. Cody glared at him half-heartedly in reply.

Cody didn’t think too much about the incident on the way to the bridge. His crystal hummed with _anticipation_ with each step he took, pulsing _nearly-done_ in time with his heartbeat.

“Commander Cody,” General Kenobi said, smiling and nodding at Cody as he stepped onto the bridge. “I have some news.”

Cody stepped towards the holo of a planet hovering over the table and stood opposite the General, looking through the blue image to the Jedi. “What is it, sir?”

“This is Utapau, Commander. It’s where General Grievous is,” the General said. “I do believe that this war is finally ending, Cody. We’re nearly there.”

Cody stared at the holo with wide eyes. He had imagined what would happen at the end of the war more times than he could count, but now that it was _right there_ , right in their grasp, Cody couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. What would happen to all of the troopers? All his _vode_? What would happen to _him_?

“Are you sure, sir?” Cody asked the General after a long silence. He could feel the eyes of the nearby _vode_ on both of them, listening in.

General Kenobi nodded. “I’m sure, Cody. You and your _vode_ will be free sooner than we all thought.” Cody could nearly cry. His crystal’s _anticipation_ had turned to _excitement_ , as did Cody’s own.

“Thank you, sir,” Cody breathed. He glanced around the bridge and met the excited looks of his brothers, nodding as he returned their smiles.

“Don’t thank me now, Cody. We’ve still got to get there,” the General said. “You might want to go tell everyone what our next destination is, it’s going to be a few days.” Cody nodded, throwing a salute at the General, and walked as fast as he could out of the bridge and towards the barracks.

 _They were coming to the end_.

* * *

“Cody?” General Kenobi asked, standing in the doorway to his quarters. “What can I do for you?”

“May I come inside, General?” Cody asked. “I don’t really want to have this conversation in the hallway.” The General frowned but stepped aside to let Cody into the room.

Once the door had shut, General Kenobi faced Cody. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked, leaning against his desk.

Cody swallowed down his nervousness and steeled his nerves. They were a day away from Utapau, and he wouldn’t get the chance to say what he wanted before they arrived. “It’s about the… situation in the supply closet yesterday,” he said. “I’ve decided to tell the person I like my feelings for them, because I might not get to after Utapau.”

The General nodded. “I’m happy for you, Cody,” he said, a… sad? undercurrent to his voice. “Do let me know how it goes, if you feel comfortable with that.”

 _Force, why is he so nice?_ Cody thought.

“Of course, sir,” Cody said. He took a deep breath and shifted in his place. “General, it–”

When the General’s comm beeped, Cody knew the universe had it out for him. He silently sent a _kriff you_ to the Force and received nothing but silence back. The General looked apologetically at Cody.

“I’m sorry, Cody,” he said. “I have to–”

“It’s okay, General. I’ll… let you know how it goes, okay?” Cody shoved back the disappointment that settled in his stomach. He nodded in farewell and let himself out of the General’s quarters.

 _That went terribly_ , Cody thought, making his way down to the barracks. He just had to hope that he had the chance to tell the General after Utapau. He wasn’t dying without telling the General his feelings. Absolutely _not_.

* * *

Utapau was both exactly what Cody expected and not at all what he expected. The dusty ground had already covered his armour in a fine layer of brown and he was all the more appreciative for the dust filters their armour had as a breeze picked up the loose dust. The General didn’t have any filter (much to Cody’s dismay) and Cody hoped that he wouldn’t inhale anything life-threatening.

“This is it,” General Kenobi said, looking out over the sinkhole-filled ground.

“General Grievous doesn’t really have an eye for design,” Boil commented from Cody’s side, wiping off dust from his vambrace. “Why’d he pick such a dusty planet?”

The General huffed out a laugh. “Well, he _is_ a droid, _ver’alor_. He doesn’t need to breathe,” he said. With a sigh, he turned to the clones. “How do you both feel? This might be the end, or the beginning of it at least.”

“It’s not quite real, sir,” Boil replied. “It’s like I’m going to wake up and all of this was just a dream.” Cody nodded in agreement. “Who knows,” Boil added, “maybe I’m just a farmer on Concord Dawn with an overactive imagination.”

“Farmer Boil? I don’t know, it doesn’t sound right,” Cody teased.

“Hey! I’ll show you. After all this is over, I’m going to become a farmer out of spite,” Boil replied, knocking his shoulder against Cody’s. Cody laughed and wrapped his arm around Boil’s neck, pulling him in.

“You have to live until then, _vod_. Promise me that, and I’ll help you set up your farm.”

“You’ve got to promise the same, _cyare al’verde_. Don’t leave me alone at the end of this,” Boil said. Cody couldn’t see his eyes, but he knew that Boil was remembering Waxer.

Cody nodded, pressing his helmet to Boil’s. “I promise, _vod’ika._ Can’t get rid of me that easily.” As he pulled away from Boil he faced the General, who was watching their interaction with a soft smile. Some dust had settled on his face, but Cody found it oddly endearing. “You need to promise too, sir. What’s the 212th without their General?” he said.

General Kenobi laughed. “Of course, _cyar’ika_. I think the Force has more years of things for me to do before I finally go,” he said. He turned back to where the final transport ship landed behind them. “I think it’s time to end this war, don’t you?”

 _After this,_ Cody told himself, _he would tell the General._ He had some promises to keep to a couple of the most important people in his life, and he wasn’t in the habit of breaking promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Vod(e) – brother(s)  
> Ver’alor – Lieutenant  
> Cyare al’verde – beloved Commander  
> Vod’ika – little brother  
> Cyar’ika – darling/sweetheart
> 
> note: we're nearly there fellas


	28. The Battle of Utapau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they land on utapau and things don't quite go to plan

Utapau was the worst planet ever, Cody decided. Why did Grievous choose the worst planet to hide out on, really? He kicked at the dust as he walked, sending small clouds up into the air.

General Kenobi was walking beside him, looking like they were just taking a nice stroll on Naboo rather than tracking down a Separatist General on some backwater Outer Rim planet. Cody watched him out of the corner of his eye, hoping for the image to not be the last one he ever saw of the General.

They stopped at the edge of a sinkhole which, as Cody looked down, seemed to go on forever. “That’s deep,” Boil commented, joining him. His _vod_ kicked a rock over the edge, sending it careening down the side of the sinkhole and out of sight.

“Try not to fall in,” Cody said. “It’s a long way down.”

“I’ll catch you if you fall,” the General said. Cody looked up and nearly had a heart attack as he saw the General standing right on the edge of the sinkhole, toes hanging over the edge as dust and pebbles fell into the hole underneath his feet. “I won’t let you disappear down there.”

He stepped away from the edge – saving Cody’s heart – and continued on with walking, seemingly following an invisible path around the sinkhole.

“Did you ever tell him about your crush?” Boil asked as they followed the Jedi.

“We got interrupted. I’m going to after this is finally over,” Cody replied. He watched the General’s back, his robes blowing in the wind in a peaceful picture. How he was so calm as he walked, Cody had no idea. “I don’t think I’ll have another chance after,” he added.

“Good luck _cyare_ ,” Boil said, patting Cody’s shoulder.

* * *

Cody barely had time to think about what General Kenobi and Grievous were up to on the higher levels as he went through the muscle-memory motions of _find-aim-fire_ at the droids. He was vaguely aware of the pulses of _danger_ mixed with _excitement_ from his kyber crystal in the back of his mind and against his chest, as well as the presence of Boil a few steps away from him.

 _Keep them safe, have to keep them all safe_ , Cody repeated to himself, firing at the nearest droid. They just weren’t dying fast enough, and it seemed that every dead droid was just replaced with another.

A metallic _clank_ from a silver object falling from above caught Cody’s attention. At first, he thought it was a grenade, but he quickly recognised the silver tube of the General’s lightsaber. He bent down and picked it up, his mind racing with the possibilities of why the General’s lightsaber was there and _not_ with the Jedi. As he clipped the lightsaber to his belt, the crystals hummed _danger_ together

The alarm-sounding call of General Kenobi’s Varactyl echoed in Cody’s ears and he looked up, hoping to see some kind of hint of the General, but it was just ships and falling _vode_ and droids in the sky.

He shook his head to clear his mind and went back to shooting the droids. He could find General Kenobi after this. The Jedi wouldn’t let himself fall to _Grievous_ of all sentients. If he _did_ , Cody would never let him live it down in whatever afterlife there was (if clones even got an afterlife).

* * *

The _danger-danger_ signals from the crystals didn’t stop once Cody heard the alarm-call of the Varactyl from behind him, but they were accompanied by relief flooding his mind. He turned as the Varactyl – carrying the General on its back – skidded to a halt behind the line of troopers Cody had been standing with.

He stepped over to General Kenobi, fighting down a relieved smile behind his helmet, and looked up at him. The crystals in his mind resonated together, pulsing _back-to-me_ and _love-you_ in time. “General,” Cody greeted, removing his helmet.

The General smiled at Cody as he turned towards him. “Cody how are the men?” he looked around at the chaos. Blaster fire was echoing off the walls of the rocky cylinder, and fallen and injured troopers were lying on the ground; some being attended to by their _vode_ or field medics. Cody sent a silent prayer for Cross, Zero and the medics still up above on _The Negotiator_ who would have to care for the injured.

“They’re holding up as well as we can expect, sir,” Cody replied. “I don’t even know who we’ve lost. I’m just hoping we can get to everyone during clean-up. I’m not leaving a single _vod_ on this hell-hole.”

General Kenobi nodded sadly. “We will, Cody. Grievous is dead, we’ve just got to last this battle,” he said. “Think you can do that?”

Cody scoffed. “You have no faith, General,” he teased.

“I have all the faith in you, _ner al’verde_ ,” the General said.

 _Tell-him tell-him no-time_.

“I know you do, sir.”

“Contact your troops, tell them to move to the higher levels. We’ve got a war to win,” General Kenobi said. His eyes glinted with determination as he grinned at Cody.

Boil joined Cody as he watched the General ride away on the Varactyl, nearly running into an archway in the process. Cody sighed and looked around at the troopers before facing Boil, who also had his helmet off.

“How are you?” Cody asked.

“Alright,” Boil replied. He ran a hand down Cody’s arm, leaving a clean white streak amid the dust-coated armour. “A little dusty, but it’s nothing a good clean can’t deal with.”

“Grievous is dead,” Cody told him. “We’re heading to the higher levels with the General, you go ahead, and I’ll tell the troopers. Make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble?”

Boil turned towards him and grabbed the back of his neck. Cody closed his eyes as their foreheads touched, a mix of sweat and dirt rubbing off on one another that he couldn’t care about. “ _K’oyacyi, vod._ Promise me,” Boil muttered. Cody opened his eyes and met Boil’s own.

“I promise,” Cody said, trying to pour as much determination into his voice as possible. “I promise, _vod_. We’re leaving this war together.”

Boil let Cody’s neck go and pulled away, nodding in reply. “Let’s go defeat these seppies, yeah? Go be a Commander,” he said, taking a step back.

“See you around, Lieutenant,” Cody said, saluting. Boil returned it and turned, calling to some of the troopers to follow him as he ran towards the archway and rocky path the General disappeared up.

Cody only realised he still had the General’s lightsaber when Boil was too far away to call out to. He needed to get up there quickly, return the ‘saber as soon as possible. The beeping of his comm drew his attention and he raised it.

_No! No-bad, don’t-answer!_

Cody frowned at the warning but shook it away as he answered. A hooded figure appeared, sending a more insistent jolt through Cody’s mind to _hang-up! don't-listen!_

“Commander Cody,” the figure drawled, voice sending a strange shiver down Cody’s spine. “The time has come. Execute Order 66.”

It was as if Cody had just been kicked to the side in his own mind. He wanted to ask who the kriff the figure thought he was, and what in the _hells_ ‘Order 66’ meant but somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew. The Jedi were traitors.

“Yes, my Lord,” CC-2224 replied. _Good clones follow orders._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Vod(e) – brother(s)  
> Cyare – beloved  
> Ner al’verde – my Commander  
> K’oyacyi – Hang in there; come back safely; stay alive
> 
> note: :).


	29. Twenty-Two Twenty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CC-2224 goes looking for the traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't come for me, please

CC-2224 turned towards the trooper manning the tank nearby. He gestured towards the retreating Jedi ( _Traitor,_ his mind supplied) and shouted at the trooper, “Blast him!” CC-2224 watched expressionlessly as the plasma bolt shot through the air towards the retreating Jedi and Varactyl, finding its target flawlessly.

As they fell off the cliffside, the Varactyl’s loud alarm-call echoed off the walls and created a static feedback loop in his helmet’s speakers, making him wince slightly. He looked back just in time to see the Traitor fall into the water. He cursed, knowing that it was deep enough to save someone from dying.

A small part of CC-2224’s brain sighed in relief, echoing _he’s-safe_ and _okay-now_. He pushed it away. The Traitor needed to die; he couldn’t be alive, or else CC-2224 didn’t _follow orders_. He growled and turned away, walking inside the cave. He was followed by the other clones as he walked.

A clacking noise and strange weight at his side caught his attention. CC-2224 stopped as he looked down, noticing the silver tube hanging from a clip on his belt. He took it off the clip, holding it in front of him curiously. As soon as he realised what it was – a Jedi’s lightsaber – he was flooded with a strong feeling of _love-you_ and a thought of ‘ _What did I do for the Force to let you into my life?’_ that definitely didn’t come from him.

Ignoring the strange thought and feeling, CC-2224 had an idea. The Traitor couldn’t fight without his lightsaber and he would most likely be trying to get it back. A trap, he decided.

He stepped up to an ARC Trooper, adorned in gold and white armour and flanked by two other clones. “Did you find Kenobi?” he asked.

“Sir, no one could’ve survived that fall,” the ARC Trooper replied.

Cody sighed angrily. _A Jedi could’ve_ , he thought. Instead of saying anything, he just kept it to himself. “Start loading your men on the ship.” When the ARC Trooper didn’t react, he growled out, “move it!”

He turned around and left them to follow their orders. He needed to find the Jedi, and CC-2224 would kill him _himself_ if he had to.

* * *

An alarm beeped from the datapad he picked up. He saw the serial number from one of the camera drones that had been scouring the planet flash on the alarm before disappearing. CC-2224 grinned to himself as he changed his path to look for the (presumably broken) drone.

He came across the drone on the ground, a clean blaster shot cutting a hole through its circuitry and wiring. Either some clone had, for some reason, shot through it, or the Traitor had picked up a blaster from one of the dead clones lying around and was armed.

As CC-2224 followed the path of the tunnel where the Traitor had to have walked down, he grabbed the lightsaber from his clip. He was nearly knocked over but the sudden strong wave of _stop-this!_ that crashed through his mind. “What…?” he muttered to himself.

He was knocked into some kind of… memory? suddenly, making him drop the datapad and lean against the tunnel’s wall to steady himself.

> _“Gentlemen, I’m sure this isn’t necessary at all.”_
> 
> _“We don’t want our_ jetii _getting sick from the cold, sir.”_ His voice, but not him. Someone… someone else. Another clone.
> 
> _“I’m sure this isn’t necessary at all.”_ It was said with such affection, but… it was the Traitor. Kenobi.

CC-2224 was thrown back into reality just as quickly as he was pulled out. His heart was beating quickly, adrenaline rushing through his veins urging him to _run_. He shook his head and tried to ignore the… whatever it was. Jedi tricks, most likely.

He clipped the lightsaber back to his belt and continued walking, listening to the thumping of his boots on the rock with each step and keeping his ears sharp for any unnatural noises that might give away the Jedi’s hiding place.

After minutes of walking, his helmet gave him an internal alarm that an enemy was nearby. When fighting, CC-2224 usually had it turned off. However, with an enemy as silent as a Jedi, it was necessary. He paused where he stood, slowly looking around to detect the heat signature of the Traitor.

At his right, a few meters away, stood the Traitor. As expected, he had a blaster aimed at CC-2224’s head and he was covered in dirt from the tunnel. The orange lights illuminating the tunnel made his hair glow softly, almost like–

CC-2224 pushed the observation away with confusion. Why was he taking the time to notice what an _enemy_ looked like? “Kenobi,” he growled, pointing his own blaster at the Jedi. “I knew you didn’t die.”

The strange part of his mind that seemed to disobey him pulsed happily, telling him _don’t-shoot! love-him, loves-you!_

“Cody?” Kenobi asked, voice shaking slightly. “What happened to you? Why was I shot at?”

CC-2224 narrowed his eyes. “Cody?” he replied. “I am Clone Commander 2224, and you’re a _traitor_. My orders are to kill you before you do any more damage.”

Kenobi’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘ _traitor’_? Who told you that?”

“I’m not answering any questions from you, Kenobi. I’m following my orders,” CC-2224 replied.

Kenobi dropped his blaster and opened his arms, surprising the clone. “Well, if your orders are to kill me, why haven’t you done so?” he asked.

CC-2224 paused, not sure what to do. His orders were to kill the Traitor, but… some little poke in the back of his mind told him not to. “I– I need to get information from you,” he said, angry at himself for stuttering.

“What information do you want, Cody? I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” Kenobi took a step forward and CC-2224 tightened his finger on the blaster’s trigger. “Please, Cody, ask me anything.”

“Why are you calling me Cody?” CC-2224 asked. His muscles tensed as the Jedi took another step forward.

Kenobi tilted his head to the side in confusion. “That’s your name, my dear,” he replied. “From _kote_. Glory.”

> _“Kote, you’ll need to move to take off the chestplate.” Looking between the other clone (medical, CC-2224 observed) and the human curled up at his side. “Just sit up a little, we’ll do our best.” He trusted them both._

Co– CC-2224 shook away the memory. “No, it’s not. Clones don’t _have_ names. We’re disposable, made to fight for…” he paused. “We don’t have names. I’m CC-2224.” It was a reassurance to himself as much as it was an insistence to the Jedi, but CC-2224 pretended it wasn’t.

Kenobi took another step forward, CC-2224’s blaster nearly pressing against his heart. _Shoot him!_ the orders in his mind told him. The other part pestered him to _put-down, don’t-shoot_. He didn’t know which one to believe.

_Good clones follow orders._

Nobody needed to know that he didn’t kill Kenobi immediately. He would still be following orders, as long as the Traitor died.

“You have my lightsaber,” Kenobi pointed out, eyes flicking down to CC-2224’s belt. “I was wondering where that went. I hope you kept it safe.” Co– _CC-2224_ , without moving the blaster from Kenobi’s heart, unclipped the lightsaber and held it in his hand.

It felt… correct to be holding it. The part of his brain that was trying to get him to let the traitor know flooded his mind with a nudge to give the lightsaber back to the Jedi. Before CC-2224 even realised, he had held out his hand and the lightsaber had been taken from it.

Kenobi was back to his original position with an activated lightsaber and CC-2224 growled at himself for being such an idiot as to let the Jedi get close. “Sorry, Cody,” the Traitor said. “But I find blasters a bit _uncivilised_.”

Without thinking much, CC-2224 pulled the blaster’s trigger and shot at Kenobi. The Jedi deflected the shot into the rock and jumped back. “I don’t want to fight you, _cyar’ika_!” he said, voice echoing slightly. “Please, this isn’t you.”

“Good clones follow orders,” CC-2224 said. “My orders are to kill the Jedi traitors, and I will _succeed._ ”

Kenobi sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Cody. I really didn’t want to do this,” he said. CC-2224 rolled out of the way just in time as the Jedi jumped towards him, lightsaber brandished. As he got up, CC-2224 shot a few bolts at the Jedi to prevent him from getting too close.

They danced around each other for an amount of time the Commander didn’t bother to count. None of his blaster bolts hit and the Jedi never got the courage to just _kill him_ and be over with it. The closest he got was deflecting some bolts back to CC-2224, which hit both his shoulders but didn’t do any damage.

He shot another blaster bolt as the Jedi closed the gap between them once more, aiming for CC-2224’s side. The shot went over the Jedi’s shoulder and he had accepted his fate of being cut in half when the lightsaber was pulled away from his side.

“Why don’t you just kill me, Kenobi?” he asked, aiming a bolt at the Jedi’s right shoulder, hoping he would drop the ‘saber finally.

It was deflected, just like all the other bolts before it. “Because I don’t _want_ to kill you, Cody,” Kenobi said. “You’re too important to me. The entire 212th is _important_ to me.” He lunged in and cut the lightsaber towards CC-2224’s other side, pulling it away before he cut through any skin.

CC-2224 only realised what the Jedi had done as the armour protecting his front and back fell to the ground, sending dust up. He cursed as the thud bounced off the walls and shot at the Jedi, trying to catch him while he was in the air.

The plan didn’t work, and Kenobi landed on the ground without a scratch, leaving CC-2224 defenceless and – he tried the trigger of his blaster, hissing in annoyance when nothing happened – weaponless.

The upside was that Kenobi had, for some reason, used the hilt of the lightsaber to deflect a shot and it now lay shattered on the ground. The only surviving part was a glowing blue crystal, pulsing softly in the dust. CC-2224 watched carefully as the Jedi picked up the crystal and held in his cupped hands.

“What’s yours telling you, Cody?” Kenobi asked. CC-2224 tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Around your neck, Cody. Your kyber crystal,” the Jedi added, clearly seeing the Commander’s confusion.

CC-2224 put the hand not holding the empty blaster to his chest, surprised to find a small, hard lump connected to a cord resting on his chest. At the touch, a small pulse of _hi-there, back-yet?_ bounced through his mind.

Kenobi took a step forward, moving as if Cod–CC-2224 was an easily-startled tooka. “Remember? It’s been looking out for you,” he said. CC-2224 narrowed his eyes beneath his helmet. “Please, Cody, listen to what it’s saying.”

 _Not-traitor,_ the crystal insisted in his mind. _Love-him, don’t-shoot, promised-Boil come-back-safely_.

All of a sudden, the Jedi was right in front of him. Before CC-2224 could react, Kenobi muttered, “Sorry, Cody.” CC-2224 dropped the crystal to push the Jedi out of the way, but he seemed to take that opportunity to shove his own crrystal against the Commander’s chest.

Both crystals connected with each other and CC-2224 collapsed under the sudden wave of emotions and memories.

> _“Looks like our new General isn’t as bad as warned.” This was going to be an adventure._
> 
> _“I meant what I said, sir. We will all protect you, just as you protect us.”_
> 
> “Ni ceta, ni ceta, ni ceta. Ni ceta… ret’urcye mhi.”
> 
> _“_ Kaysh oyayc.” _Their General was safe, and that was enough for both of them in that moment._
> 
> _“It isn’t you loving them that killed them,_ cyar’ika _. Your love doesn’t kill people.”_
> 
> _“Well, I… I think I love someone. But, I don’t think they love me back, and I… I don’t know if I should tell them or not.”_
> 
> _“_ K’oyacyi, vod. _Promise me.”_
> 
> _“We’re leaving this war together.”_

The Commander opened his eyes with a gasp, pushing the Jedi off of him. He didn’t know when they ended up on the ground together, but he was pretty sure it was during the flood of memories.

“Cody?” General Kenobi said cautiously. His eyes flicked to the blaster lying forgotten on the ground and back to Cody, who held his head to try and make it stop spinning. His crystal was pulsing happily inside his mind, which just made his headache worse.

“ _Kriff_ ,” he swore, instead of answering, as he remembered exactly what happened. He raised his comm and called the line that connected to every single trooper’s helmet and wrist comms. It was only for emergency use, but Cody classified this as the most immediate emergency the GAR would ever come across. “This is Clone Marshal Commander Cody, serial CC-2224, calling off the execution of Order 66. The Jedi are _not_ traitors! I repeat, the Jedi are not the traitors.” The voice of the hooded figure clicked in Cody’s mind, and he looked to General Kenobi, who was frowning. “The traitor is Chancellor Palpatine. Do not answer any communications until I give the all-clear. That is an _order_.”

He cut off the comm, hoping it got to everyone in time (Force, it took so long for him to come to his senses… how many Jedi were lost? How many _vode_?).

“The _Chancellor_?” the General said, incredulously. “Cody, what–”

“He commed me when I sent Boil to go after you,” Cody explained. “He… said something about Order 66 and then I called the order to… to shoot you. Force, General I’m so–”

“Don’t you dare say sorry, Cody,” General Kenobi said forcefully, pushing himself off the ground and offering Cody a hand. “Come on, Commander, we’ve got some men to find and a traitor to defeat.”

Cody took it and stood, grinning at the General. “Yes, sir.”

In the back of his mind, the crystal pulsed _back-to-me_ , mixed with a strong wave of _defeat-Palpatine_. Cody had never been so ready to put a blaster shot between someone’s eyes than he was then.

Taking over his body somehow? Horrific. But making him attack _his_ General? Oh, Palpatine was going to regret the day he was ever born once Cody was finished with him. That was a promise, and Cody wasn’t in the habit of breaking promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations
> 
> Jetii – Jedi  
> Kote – glory  
> Cyar’ika – darling/sweetheart  
> Ni ceta – sorry (lit. ‘I kneel’)  
> Ret’urcye mhi – goodbye (lit. ‘may we meet again’)  
> Kaysh oyayc – he’s alive  
> K’oyacyi, vod – stay alive, brother


	30. The Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody & crew go to take down palpatine once and for all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is Long so buckle in boys

As soon as Cody and General Kenobi stepped out of the stolen ship (“We’re just borrowing it, Cody!”), the hangar went silent. Troopers in various stages of de-armouring stood (and sat) wherever there was space, and each one was staring at Cody and the General.

“Commander?” the ARC Trooper Cody remembered talking to – Quickfire, if Cody remembered his ARCs correctly – asked hesitantly. “What happened?”

“Did you all get my comm?” Cody asked. Everyone nodded their heads. “Okay, so you all know that it was Chancellor Palpatine that called the order, correct?” More nods. “Apparently that order makes it so that Jedi are marked as traitors.”

“None of it was _anyone’s_ fault,” General Kenobi spoke up before anyone could say something. “So I don’t want to hear a single apology from any of you, especially from whoever shot at me.” Cody noticed a trooper in the corner duck his head and shrink away, and smiled internally as he was quickly noticed by a few surrounding troopers who began talking with him quietly.

“We’re on our way to Coruscant now,” Cody said. “The General has contacted Generals Skywalker, Windu and Yoda already and they will meet us in orbit around Coruscant. I’m going to contact the Commanders and get sitrep from them all.”

“What about our _vode_ down on Utapau, Cody?” Longshot asked, sitting cross legged on the ground and wiping down his blaster barrel absently.

The General smiled sadly. “We’ll come back for them, Longshot. We’re not leaving anyone on that Force-forsaken planet,” he replied for Cody. “I need to go contact the Council. I’ll talk with every single one of you after Palpatine is defeated, and I mean _everyone_.”

Cody nodded and smiled at the General as he looked towards the Commander. “I’ll meet you on the bridge, Cody,” he said, placing a hand on Cody’s shoulder. Cody watched as he walked a path through the troopers towards the exit, giving each trooper he could a small touch somewhere on their body as he passed.

Cody heard loud footsteps coming towards him and looked over just in time to catch Boil’s haphazard hug. “ _Gar oyayc,_ ” Boil said breathlessly, his arms fitting awkwardly around Cody’s armour. “I was so worried when… it was like being ripped away from my own body. I wanted to _kill_ General Kenobi.”

Cody ran a hand through Boil’s hair gently as his _vod_ pressed his face into Cody’s neck. “It’s okay, _vod’ika_ , we’re going to find out what happened to us and make sure it never happens again,” he said. “We’re all going to be okay.”

Force, he certainly hoped they would be okay.

* * *

Cody breathed a sigh of relief when he received the messages from his Commander _vode_ that they had either saved (missed) their Generals when attempting to fire on them, or they hadn’t been near their General at all.

He closed the comm line they had and leaned back against his bunk, closing his eyes for a moment. There was a lot going on and he still had a headache from the surge of memories from before. How had the order even gone through if Cody had never heard of Order 66 before then? How had it reached every trooper, when Palpatine had only commed the Commanders (as far as Cody could tell)?

Sighing, Cody got out of the bunk and started making his way towards the bridge. Hopefully General Kenobi might have gotten some kind of intel from the other Jedi while Cody was checking in on his _vode_. He placed a hand over his chest, where his kyber crystal sat below his armour (with recently fixed clamps). It greeted him with a small pulse of _back-now, love-you_ , which made him smile slightly.

“Cody?” Cody looked behind him as he heard his name and stopped as he saw Boil walking towards him. “I’m joining you. No way am I letting you out of my sight again.” Cody nodded and continued walking towards the bridge, his armour occasionally hitting Boil’s with their proximity.

“No one else hit their Generals,” Cody said. “They missed or they weren’t with them when the order went out. Everyone’s safe, as far as we know.” He didn’t miss the sigh from Boil or the way he seemed to lean closer to Cody.

The rest of the walk to the bridge was in comfortable silence, just taking in each other’s presence. On the bridge General Kenobi was standing around a holo of the Senate building, joined by holos of the other Generals.

When Cody and Boil stepped in, the General turned and smiled at them. “Commander, Lieutenant,” he greeted. “Cody, do you want to explain what happened on your end before the order was called?”

Cody nodded, stepping beside the General. “General Kenobi had informed me that General Grievous had been killed and instructed me to get the men to the higher levels. I sent Lieutenant Boil after him first, as backup before the rest of the 212th, which is when I got the communication from Chancellor Palpatine.” Cody kept his breathing steady as he remembered the chilling voice that had called him. “He… he said that ‘the time has come’ and told me to ‘execute Order–’” he stopped and looked around at the _vode_ on the bridge, who had all stiffened slightly.

General Kenobi placed a hand on Cody’s forearm. A pulse of _doing-good_ from the crystal and a thought of ‘ _Keep going,_ Kote _, you’re doing well_ ’ from the General calmed Cody’s racing heart a little.

Cody continued his explanation, how he hunted down the General and how he thought that his Jedi was a traitor (although he didn’t call the General _his_ in the explanation). He hesitated before telling the other Generals how he was snapped out of Order 66’s control, glancing towards General Kenobi.

General Koon interrupted before he could continue, nodding slightly. “Thank you, Commander Cody. We are glad you have returned to us,” he said. As Cody nodded in acknowledgement, he realised why the Wolfpack thought of the Kel Dor as their _buir_.

The plan was pretty simple. General Skywalker (who was busy on Coruscant already) would distract Palpatine long enough for Generals Windu, Kenobi and Yoda to confront him. Their respective Commanders would be waiting outside the Chancellor’s office as both guards and backup. Once Palpatine was apprehended (or killed, although that wasn’t said directly), Cody would give the all-clear signal over the emergency line for all clones.

The meeting ended after an update on everyone’s positions, leaving the bridge in relative silence. Boil stepped forward between Cody and the General from where he was standing just beyond the reach of the holorecorder. “Why do you two keep putting yourselves in the most dangerous situations?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“It’s for the greater good, Boil,” General Kenobi replied. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

Boil narrowed his eyes. “Last time I let you two out of my sight we all got possessed,” he said monotonously. “I’m quite fond of you both, so let’s not have that happen again, shall we?”

The General placed a hand on Boil’s forearm. “That’s what we’re going to Coruscant for. Afterwards, we’ll head back to Kamino and find out why the order did what it did. Okay?” Boil nodded in reply, looking over to Cody.

“ _Ne baatir, vod’ika_ ,” Cody said, “we’ll keep each other safe. I’ll keep you updated as long as I can.”

Boil seemed to find that satisfactory. “I’ll yell at you if you don’t,” he threatened. Cody laughed and pulled him into a side-hug. “I’m serious.”

“I know you are, Boil,” Cody replied. He pushed his forehead against Boil’s temple for a moment before pulling away. As he looked at the General, he couldn’t help but notice the gentle look the Jedi was giving them. “It’s on the _jetii_ to stop Palpatine, sir. Up for the challenge?”

General Kenobi smiled. “I’d throw myself out of an airlock for you. Of course I am,” he replied. Before Cody could even react to the sentiment, the General stepped around Boil and towards the exit. “I need to go do some things, if you’ll excuse me. Go have fun while we’re travelling.”

Cody and Boil watched as he left the bridge in silence. “Have you kissed him yet?” Boil asked, turning his head towards Cody.

Cody sighed and shook his head. “Haven’t really had the time, between everything that’s happened. “Afterwards, I will.”

“Every time you say that, something _bad_ happens,” Boil commented, shaking his head fondly. “Just, you’d better tell him or else I’m telling him for you.” That was a threat, and Cody knew it.

* * *

Cody’s headache was still around after he woke up the next day. It wasn’t painful, just persistent, so Cody forwent the medbay. Besides, there were still injured _vode_ that had more pressing injuries than a _headache_ , so Cody pushed through the annoyance and continued on.

Boil had taken to shadowing General Kenobi (which nobody questioned him on) for the day, so Cody was left to check up on various troopers and make sure everything was running smoothly when they arrived at Coruscant.

He was in the mess hall, scanning through paperwork on a datapad and slowly making his way through his food, when he was joined by their resident CMO. “Cody,” Cross greeted, “I haven’t seen you since you arrived.” Cody wasn’t sure if it was an accusation or just a statement. “How are you going?”

Cody sighed. “I’m holding up, Cross. There’s a lot going on that I need everyone to be prepared for,” he said, rubbing at his temple to stave off the headache. Each pulse of _take-a-break_ seemed to make the headache worse, so he tried his best to push them away. “Shouldn’t you be in medical?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been in that place for over 24 hours and I can smell bacta everywhere I go,” Cross said, huffing out a laugh. “That, and Zero kicked me out with threats of sedation. I’m here for 10 minutes only, thought I should check up on our _al’verde_.”

Cody shook his head as he laughed. “Everything’s fine, Cross. Got a headache, but that’s to be expected,” he replied.

“I can give you painkillers if you’d like. Otherwise, it’s just going to get worse,” Cross said, placing a hand on Cody’s thigh underneath the table. “From what I’ve heard, you need to be at the top of your game when we get to Coruscant.” Cody nodded and took another mouthful of food. Cross picked up the datapad and scrolled through the paperwork shown, frowning. “Can’t some of this wait? Why are you doing it now?” he asked.

“It’s going to be chaos for who knows how long once the plan is completed. There won’t be any _time_ for me to do it after,” Cody replied, reaching out for the datapad. Cross held it away from him with a half-glare.

“No, no more paperwork. You’re taking a 10-minute break, and _I’m_ giving you painkillers for that headache,” the medical officer insisted. Cody sighed and tilted his head in acceptance. “Where’s the General, by the way? I need to make sure he isn’t skipping medical.”

Cody shrugged. “I have no clue. In his quarters maybe, probably doing paperwork,” he replied. “Boil’s been with him all day and I haven’t seen either one of them.”

“How did I get assigned to the worst General? I always have to threaten him or physically _drag_ him to medical,” Cross groaned. “Come see me after you finish eating, I’ve got a rouge _jetii_ to deal with.”

“Good luck, _baar’ur_ ,” Cody said. Cross nodded as he stood, muttering something about ‘ _ridiculous Jedi_ ’ as he left. Once Cody was sure Cross had left the mess hall and wasn’t returning, he grabbed his datapad and went back to paperwork. He needed something to distract him, and filing paperwork that probably won’t be needed in a week was the best way to do that.

* * *

The painkillers Cross gave him helped with the headache and, a few hours away from Coruscant, it finally seemed to go away. Cody was going through the motions of putting on his armour before they arrived, listening to the chatter of his _vode_ around him.

It wasn’t long before every piece (bar his helmet) was on and blasters were tucked into their holsters. Cody looked at the seat where he had placed his helmet and frowned as he realised it wasn’t there. He turned around and was met with Boil, who was standing with Cody’s helmet in his hands.

“Lieutenant,” Cody greeted.

Boil held out the helmet in offering. “You promised me that we would survive the war together. I’m holding you to that, you know?” His voice was thick and eyes slightly shiny with unshed tears. “ _K’oyayci._ All of you, okay?”

Cody took the helmet from Boil and nodded. “I promise. We _will_ survive the war, and we’ll be free to do whatever we want afterwards,” he said.

“Yeah, and you’ve got to tell General Kenobi how you feel, remember? Can’t do that if you’re dead,” Boil joked. “And no _way_ are you making me say your names in remembrance. I’ve already got enough to say as it is."

Cody placed his helmet back on the chair and grabbed Boil’s forearms. “Boil, we’re not going to die. We’re going to go in there, arrest Palpatine, and come back to you,” he promised.

“ _Ni kar’taylir gar, ori’vod_ ,” Boil muttered.

“ _Ni kar’taylir gar_ ,” Cody echoed. He let go of Boil and picked up his helmet, tucking it under his arm. “Are you coming with us to meet Windu and Yoda?”

Boil shook his head. “I’m staying here. Good luck, _vod_.”

Cody nodded and put his helmet on. “No parties while we’re gone,” he said, pointing at Boil.

The Lieutenant snorted in laughter and shook his head. “No promises. Now go, you’ll be late.”

* * *

“Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord.”

General Windu could’ve made it sound a bit more _interesting_ or _surprising_ as he dropped the information on everyone’s heads.

General Kenobi just stroked his beard in contemplation while Cody’s head was spinning as he tried to process the statement. “Hm,” he hummed. “I feel I should be more concerned that Anakin is down there with him.”

“I’ve already told Skywalker, and he said that he had suspicions himself. He knows not to listen to what Palpatine says,” General Windu said.

“Kill the Sith Lord, we must,” General Yoda said matter-of-factly. Both Generals Windu and Kenobi nodded in agreement.

Cody shared a glance with Neyo, who was standing resolutely beside General Windu, and received a shrug in reply to the unasked question. _Plan’s changed, I guess_ , Cody thought to himself.

The plan didn’t change all that much. The only major difference was that the main mission would be to _kill_ Palpatine, rather than simply arrest him. Neyo, Cody and Appo (and Captain Rex) would still be stationed outside as backup and guards. Cody would’ve liked to _see_ the Sith being taken down, but he could go for watching the security tapes.

_Nearly-over_ his crystal pulsed.

‘ _But not over yet,’_ Cody thought in return.

* * *

As they stepped out of the transport ship, Cody’s eyes immediately found Rex and General Skywalker, who were waiting a few meters away from the ramp. Cody kept his (external) composure as he followed General Kenobi onto the platform, which quickly faded away as he stepped up to Rex.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Rex said, pulling Cody into a quick hug. “You’ve heard the news, I suppose? About the Chancellor?”

Cody sneered beneath his helmet. “Yeah. Can’t wait until he’s finally dead. I think everyone’s had one too many years of this war,” he said, keeping a grip on Rex’s forearm. “That, and I think Boil’s had enough of my banthashit for one lifetime.”

Rex snorted in laughter and shook his head. “Well, let’s get this over and done with then, yeah?” Cody nodded determinedly and looked over to where the Generals were speaking.

General Windu had his perpetual displeased look on his face, which didn’t really say much about the situation at hand, and General Kenobi had his hand to his beard in his tell-tale thinking pose. Rex and Cody walked over, standing beside Neyo and Appo, and caught the back-end of the conversation.

“You don’t have your lightsaber, Obi-Wan,” General Skywalker pointed out, gesturing to the empty clip on General Kenobi’s belt where his lightsaber usually hung. Cody remembered firing the blaster shot that shattered the silver tube and winced internally.

“It was an unfortunate casualty of the order that was called,” General Kenobi explained. “No matter, I have another.”

General Skywalker looked as confused as Cody felt. He didn’t realise the General _had_ another lightsaber. He certainly hadn’t seen it before. General Yoda, however, just hummed. “Master Qui-Gon’s, is it not?” he asked. General Kenobi nodded, looking slightly ashamed. “Destroy it, you should have,” General Yoda admonished.

“Is now really the time to be telling me that? We’re about to confront the Sith Lord possibly in charge of this war,” General Kenobi said. He didn’t sound annoyed, per se, but he definitely wasn’t happy about what was happening.

General Windu sighed. “We’ll deal with that later,” he said. “Skywalker, you know what to do. We’ll be in right behind you.”

General Skywalker nodded. As he left, he placed a hand on General Kenobi’s shoulder for a second. “May the Force be with you.”

“And with you,” General Kenobi replied. He turned to the Commanders as they all waited for the right time to leave. “Are you four ready? We need you at your best.”

“Yes, sir!” the four of them said. Cody’s crystal echoed the feeling in his mind.

General Kenobi smiled at them, although his gaze seemed to linger on Cody. “Let’s end this war for good,” he said determinedly. Silently, in Cody’s mind, he sent a small thought of _‘and keep your promise to Boil.’_ Cody nodded in reply, grinning. He couldn’t wait.

* * *

“General,” Cody said as they followed behind the rest of the group. They were close to Palpatine’s office, and Cody’s crystal was going _nuts_. “I have something important to tell you, when we get back to _The Negotiator_.”

General Kenobi tilted his head slightly before nodding. “Of course, Cody. I’ve got something to tell you, as well.” Cody’s heart jumped and he tried not to show it too much as he nodded.

The group stopped in front of Palpatine’s office, where Cody could hear General Skywalker’s voice inside. He and his fellow Command _vode_ adjusted the blaster rifles they held, moving into position either side of the door. Cody stood on the left with Rex, and Appo and Neyo took the right.

The Generals were each holding their deactivated lightsabers, projecting a calm body language as General Windu knocked. Cody made eye contact with General Kenobi as they waited for the door to open. ‘ _Stay safe,_ cyar’alor, _’_ Cody thought. He wondered slightly if the message would even get through since the General didn’t have _his_ kyber crystal as a bridge between their minds. The wondering was put to rest as the General smiled and nodded in response to the thought, turning his eyes back to the doorway.

“Master Jedi,” Palpatine said, sounding not at all surprised that they were there. Cody’s crystal hummed anxiously, repeating _something-wrong, danger-inside_ as the Jedi walked into the office.

Rex shifted beside Cody. “Something doesn’t feel right,” he commented, voice tense. Cody nodded in reply, turning his head to look at the doorway. The muffled humming of multiple activated lightsabers reached his ears and he tightened his grip on the rifle in his hands.

All of a sudden Cody’s mind flooded with an alarm from the crystal, making him squeeze his eyes closed.

_Inside! Inside-now, in-danger, go-now!_

Cody didn’t even think twice. He slammed the emergency open button on the side of the door and aimed his rifle at the nearest thing that moved, hoping the other three would follow his lead. General Windu was clutching at his arm against the wall, lightsaber on the floor on the opposite side of the room, and General Yoda – who looked uninjured, but Cody couldn’t quite tell – stood beside him, watching the battle in the middle of the room go on.

Cody’s helmet couldn’t even keep up with the streaks of green, blue and red of the lightsabers. He tried to aim at Palpatine, but it was more a guess than properly aiming. He was aware of Rex and Neyo beside him, rifles aimed at the battle.

A shout from General Skywalker was accompanied by the youngest Jedi hitting the wall opposite Generals Yoda and Windu. His lightsaber hit the wall next to him, leaving a scorch mark on the wall. Cody’s adrenaline skyrocketed as he watched General Kenobi and Palpatine fight, his eyes flicking as he tried to keep up with their movements.

_Find, aim, fire_ , Cody repeated in his mind. It was just another enemy his Jedi was fighting, he had shot droids near the General before, this wasn’t different (except it was, a small part of Cody whispered. He ignored it).

He pulled his rifle up, tracking Palpatine’s movements with the muzzle. Luckily, it was easy to see General Kenobi’s off-white robes against the dark cloak Palpatine wore. He adjusted the blaster so that the sights were lined up with his HUD, still tracking the Sith’s movements as he and the General danced around.

_‘I would advise ducking, sir,’_ he thought, keeping his breathing steady.

In the span of what felt like hours, but was most likely a few seconds, General Kenobi caught Palpatine’s lightsaber with his own, pulling it away from the Sith’s chest and giving Cody an opening. Cody’s crystal thrummed loudly in his mind, pushing all doubts out of his mind with each pulse.

With a breath, Cody pulled the trigger. The blast filled the office with an echo of the shot as everything went silent. Cody’s breath froze as he dropped the rifle, realising that the blaster shot hadn’t hit the Sith’s heart. Instead, it impacted his shoulder (and not even the side holding the lightsaber), which Palpatine seemed to find more an annoyance than an actual pain.

General Kenobi jumped between Cody and Palpatine as he stepped towards Cody, who raised his rifle once again. The crystal’s pulses of _danger-danger_ increased as the General placed himself in the line of Palpatine’s lightsaber. “Commander Cody, I see you didn’t _follow orders_ ,” he said, his angry sending a shiver down the Commander’s spine.

“I don’t follow the orders of traitors,” Cody said, forcing his voice to remain steady. “I’m loyal to General Kenobi and the Grand Army of the Republic, not a _Sith Lord_.”

Palpatine sneered and raised the hand not holding the red lightsaber. As his fingers clenched around air the four Generals gasped, and General Kenobi dropped his lightsaber. Cody watched as his General’s hands came up to his throat, trying to dislodge the invisible force preventing his breathing. Cody had to jump back quickly to avoid getting caught by the green blade on the floor.

Cody tightened his grip on the trigger of his blaster, prepared for the slight jolt of recoil the blasters gave, but nothing happened. He pulled the trigger a few more times, each with the same effect. He growled at Palpatine, who laughed as the rifles from the three clones behind Cody clicked with unfired shots.

“What now, _Commander?_ ” he sneered.

Cody dropped the rifle and exchanged it for the lightsaber, whose crystal seemed to put up with his handling of it, a small pulse of _I-guess_ piercing through Cody’s own crystal’s steadying thrums. Palpatine seemed to think the movement was funny as he laughed harshly.

Cody gave the Sith no mind as he stepped around General Kenobi, whose movements had become sluggish and face red. “Are you going to fight me,” Cody taunted the Sith, “or are you going to use the Force like a _coward_?”

Insulting an actual Sith Lord probably wasn’t the best idea Cody had ever had, but he couldn’t really find it in himself to give two shits about it. Palpatine was hurting _his Jedi_ , and he would pay for it.

Palpatine unclenched his fists, leaving the Generals on the floor gasping for air. He paid them no mind as he stared down Cody, lightsaber held in his hands loosely as if he was underestimating Cody’s abilities. _What a mistake_ , Cody thought to himself.

The Sith made the first move, aiming the lightsaber at Cody’s neck, which Cody met with the help of his kyber crystal. The red lightsaber was pulled away and Palpatine’s expression was shocked for barely milliseconds before it returned to a sneer. The next attacks were similar to the General’s movements when he sparred with General Skywalker, testing the defences of his opponent.

As the lightsaber came towards Cody’s side, Cody caught it with the General’s (or Master Qui-Gon’s, Cody supposed) and used the jolt of transferred momentum to kick at Palpatine’s stomach, unbalancing the Sith, and deflected the red lightsaber down to the ground.

While Cody wasn’t in the habit of taking out individual limbs (only if that ‘limb’ was a head), the opening to slash at Palpatine’s dominant hand – which had been knocked across his chest with the deflection – was too good to resist. The growl from Palpatine echoed in his helmet’s speakers as the limb and lightsaber fell to the ground.

Cody looked Palpatine in the eye as he stood on the hilt of the ‘saber, crushing the metal beneath his boot. He stood his ground as Palpatine stepped towards him, only Cody’s lifting of the green lightsaber stopping them from being chest to chest.

“Commander Cody,” Palpatine drawled, a sick grin twisting his features as he stared down at Cody. “Execute–” Cody reached up to switch off his helmet’s microphone quickly, not willing to go through _that_ again. Except the Sith was cut off by a blue lightsaber poking through his throat, the tip ending just before the front of Cody’s helmet.

“Anakin!” General Kenobi shouted, his voice hoarse. Cody stepped back in line with the other clones and watched as the blue lightsaber was dragged to the side, cutting through Palpatine’s neck and half-severing the Sith’s head. The (now ex) Chancellor fell to his knees seemingly in slow-motion and then to the ground, lying lifeless on the floor.

Nobody moved in the office and only the sounds of heavy breathing reached Cody’s helmet. Rex moved forward to meet General Skywalker, who gripped his Captain’s biceps, and Neyo and Appo did the same to Generals Windu and Yoda. Cody deactivated the lightsaber and bent down to where General Kenobi was kneeling on the ground, his breathing still heavy from the choking. Cody took off his helmet and placed it beside him, eyes meeting the General’s.

“Good fight, Cody,” the General praised, grabbing between Cody’s neck and shoulder. “I’ll make a ‘saber user of you yet.”

Cody grabbed the General’s wrist in return. “I think I’ve had enough of lightsabers, for now, sir,” he replied, smiling at the Jedi. Alone, his kyber crystal pulsed _tell-him tell-him tell-him_. It felt strangely empty without the General’s crystal as well, but it was no less insistent. Cody offered the lightsaber towards the General, who took it with a brush of their fingers.

“You might want to comm Boil,” he suggested. “I feel he’d be happy to hear from you.” Cody swore internally and grabbed at his wrist comm. There was barely a ring before the holo of Boil popped up, posture tense.

“Cody, I’m going to kill you _my damn self_ for making me wait so long,” Boil hissed. “Nearly had a heart attack. Are you both okay?” Even with the ‘threat’ his voice was slightly shaking.

“We’re fine, _vod’ika_ , we’re alright,” Cody assured him. “Everyone’s okay, Palpatine is…” Cody looked over. “Yeah, Palpatine’s dead.”

Boil audibly sighed and rubbed his temple. “Well, come back soon, okay? I’m going crazy.”

General Kenobi smiled apologetically. “We’ll be home soon, dear, don’t worry. A little bit longer, okay?” His voice was soft and the slight hoarseness still coating his words seemed to make it even softer than usual.

“Okay. No more adventures between now and then, though,” Boil said.

“Of course, _vod_ ,” Cody replied. Boil nodded and ended the call. Cody stood from his spot and offered a hand to the General. “Is there anything you need to do?” he asked.

The General looked over to where the other Generals were conversing with Neyo, Appo, and Rex. “I might have to stay and oversee what’s going to happen now that the Supreme Chancellor is dead.”

General Skywalker walked over from the conversation and pulled General Kenobi into a hug. “It’s over now, right?” he asked as he pulled away.

“Well, we do have to negotiate with Count Dooku over the surrender of the Separatists. That is, if he’s going to surrender now that Palpatine is dead,” General Kenobi said. At General Skywalker’s blank look, he sighed. “It’s nearly over, Anakin.”

“Master Windu says we can return to our fleets and update the men,” General Skywalker said. “There’s going to be a Council meeting tomorrow, but we get a break for the rest of the night.”

General Kenobi breathed out a sigh. “I suppose we should get going then?” he asked, looking to Cody.

“Let’s go,” Cody replied, leaning over slightly and touching his shoulder to the General’s. He had an important conversation to have, and it’s been postponed one too many times for Cody’s liking.

* * *

“You’re okay!” Boil shouted, meeting Cody and General Kenobi in the hangar. Cody’s crystal hummed _back-home_ and _alive-still_ as Boil ran up to them. The Lieutenant looked them both over for a few seconds as if making sure they were both in one piece still before he pulled Cody in for a hug. “I’m grounding you on this ship indefinitely. Fighting a Sith Lord is adventure enough.”

General Kenobi huffed. “We do still have jobs to do, Boil,” he said, accepting Boil’s hug when he let go of Cody. “But we’ll be okay for now. We’re back home.”

“Yeah, back home,” Boil said, nodding. He turned to Cody and narrowed his eyes. “Have you?” he asked.

Cody ignored the confused look from the General and shook his head. “There wasn’t time.” Boil punched his arm; not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough that Cody felt it through his armour.

“What didn’t you do?” General Kenobi asked.

“Don’t worry, sir,” Cody replied, rubbing at the place Boil punched. “I do need to tell you something, though. Your quarters?” General Kenobi smiled and nodded, gesturing for Cody to lead the way. Cody responded to Boil’s head tilt and eyebrow raise with a signed _kriff you_ that the General definitely saw, but didn’t call out.

The walk to the General’s quarters was made in comfortable silence, their arms brushing past one another as they walked. Cody’s crystal pulsed with a feeling that felt like it was saying _finally_ , _about-time_. Cody pushed it back gently in a _shut up_ gesture inside his mind. That didn’t stop the crystal at all and, in fact, seemed to make the feeling stronger.

“Do you want to start first?” General Kenobi asked once they were in his quarters. They were stood an arm’s length apart from each other, close enough that Cody could hear the Jedi’s soft breathing.

Cody nodded, taking a deep breath. _This was it_ , he thought. “Remember how I said I loved someone, and how I was going to tell them that I loved them after Umbara?” General Kenobi nodded, crossing his arms. “Well, I didn’t exactly get the chance to tell them, because of everything that happened. So I’m telling them tonight.”

The General seemed to deflate, arms crossing tighter around his chest. “Oh, well, I wish you luck, Cody.”

Cody sighed and stepped forward, close enough that he could see the freckles dotting the General’s nose and cheeks. “No offence, sir, but you’re a _di’kut_ ,” he said. He lifted a hand to the General’s face and cupped his jaw, stroking his thumb softly underneath the Jedi’s eye. “Can I kiss you?” he muttered, watching the General’s face in case Cody had completely misread the situation.

“Only if you drop the title,” the Gen– Obi-Wan murmured. Cody was pleasantly surprised when Obi-Wan closed the gap and caught Cody’s mouth with his own. A small poke of _happiness_ and _took-your-time_ raced through Cody’s head, but he paid it no mind. He had wondered what it would feel like to kiss the Jedi for a while (longer than he’d care to admit) but nothing he came up with could’ve compared to how it actually felt.

Obi-Wan’s lips were _soft_ – softer than Cody expected – and he moved gently against Cody’s mouth, his hands moving up to the back of Cody’s neck. A shiver ran down Cody’s spine as the Jedi’s fingers scratched softly at the hairs there, and Cody made a happy noise he would later deny ever making.

When they pulled away from each other, foreheads resting together, Cody’s mind was somehow racing and completely blank at the same time. The crystal pulsed in time with his beating heart, sending waves of _love-you_ through his head. “ _Ni kar’taylir gar darasuum,”_ he whispered, not wanting to break the silence but _needing_ to get the phrase out.

A laugh filled with genuine happiness came from Obi-Wan and Cody could’ve listened to the sound for eternity. “I love you too, my dearest,” he replied, pressing a kiss to Cody’s nose. “I’ve been waiting to say that for… who knows how long.”

“Me too,” Cody said. He closed his eyes and just absorbed Obi-Wan’s presence in the room and the happy pulses in his mind. “I… honestly thought I would be dead before I got to tell you.”

Obi-Wan hummed softly, slightly sadly, and moved his hand to Cody’s cheek, mirroring Cody’s own position. “Well, we’re both alive, aren’t we?” he said. “And the war’s nearly over. Everything will be able to heal once again.” Cody leaned into the hand and nodded, humming his agreement. Obi-Wan ran a blunt nail over Cody’s jawline, sending another shiver down Cody’s spine.

“Love you,” Cody muttered.

‘ _Love you too,’_ Obi-Wan sent over their bond (which felt… different than before, somehow), as well as a strong wave of _love_. Cody opened his eyes and sent a half-hearted look at Obi-Wan, who replied with a smile. Cody leaned in once more and smiled against Obi-Wan’s at the small laugh he gave out.

For the first time since he was decanted, Cody truly _knew_ that they would all be okay. For the first time, he genuinely felt _loved_ , and he never wanted that feeling to end. In the presence of Obi-Wan, _his_ General, everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a Translations  
> Vod(e) – brother(s)  
> Gar oyayc – You’re alive  
> Vod’ika – little brother  
> Kote – glory  
> Buir – parent  
> Ne baatir – don’t worry  
> Al’verde – Commander  
> Jetii – Jedi  
> Baar’ur – medic  
> K’oyayci – stay alive; come back safely  
> Ni kar’taylir gar – I hold you in my heart  
> Ori’vod – older brother  
> Cyar’alor – beloved leader  
> Di’kut – idiot  
> Ni kar’taylir gar darasuum – I love you
> 
> note: aaand it's over! thank you so much to everyone for sticking around for so long and reading this fic! the originally written ending made this fic ~13k words, but now we're here with +40k and a 120-page word document. to everyone who comments: i read them all! i may not respond to them, but i have definitely read them and cried over the amount of love you've given this fic. i genuinely don't have the words to express how much i appreciate y'all.
> 
> until next time, and next fic <3
> 
> edit: i now have a writing blog on tumblr if you want to come say hi or request a prompt! [@mousewithapen](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mousewithapen)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! hope you enjoyed <3


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